


(we think) we're invincible, completely unbreakable;

by esquitor



Series: isn't it beautiful? [4]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Super Sci-fi, Character Study, Ensemble Cast, Gen, Multiculturalism, So many OCs, Worldbuilding, and, future bamf sawada tsunayoshi, general violence of the, hibari 'bite misbehavers to death' kyouya, sawada tsunayoshi has always been a bamf, variety, yamamoto 'secretly a honey badger' takeshi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 46,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6808420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esquitor/pseuds/esquitor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>or: There's Nothing Wrong With Sawada Tsunayoshi</p><p>there are reasons why you do not let vongola bosses visit their youngest heir without supervision.<br/>there are also reasons why you do not try to undo what vongola bosses have done to their youngest heir by yourself. without supervision.</p><p>but everything turns out okay in the end.</p><p>(a preface to the actual story. or a prequel. exploring the childhood lives of hibari kyouya, yamamoto takeshi, and hokuto nagi. nana raises tsuna alone. not <i>required</i> reading, but the main fic makes references back to this one.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. NANA

**Author's Note:**

> uh, okay, so. this is. my first foray? into khr fandom? like god i remember first reading the manga when it was still running and then going 'wow this kind of got crazy' and noped out and now i'm back, i'm back for the crazy.
> 
> there are supposedly working footnotes so long as you don't disable author skins! and stuff. some more of setting is explained at the very end if you want to skip ahead and read it first, but otherwise the rest will be revealed throughout the fic, because that's how i roll.
> 
> FOREWARNING: i am not a medical professional, i just really like looking things up and researching stuff. as such, i'm reluctant to actually NAME any disorders i've decided to have characters exhibit in the event that the symptoms / behavior """don't match""". but the story won't be focusing ON disorders or treatment or anything like that. those things will just be there. as it's meant to be. but also i'm just playing around with a) a community where just about everyone has _something_ and how that affects the 'normal' status quo, b) what effect dying will flames might have on the human body and psyche, given the previous point, c) making everything 10000% more fantastical and sci-fi, and a million other minor minor things that i like to explore.
> 
> it'll be great. hahaha!!.. ha...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: none really. nana being a frazzled almost single mom. developmental tracking.

* * *

**SAWADA LEVEQUE NANA;** or How He Stops Being Who He Is

* * *

Iemitsu is not there when Tsuna is born. He calls from an international number and coos over the phone three days later, and Nana is still too exhausted to be mad at him, too exhausted to do anything more than be glad to hear her husband's voice. The baby is named Tsunayoshi, out of respect for the tradition that the Sawadas had begun long ago, despite anything Iemitsu might have against it.

He is warm in her arms. So warm, so bright. Her attending physician practically glows with second-hand pride and wonder and makes a tentative mark on the clipboard being used to keep track of her newborn baby's health.

She has a good feeling about it.

* * *

Iemitsu is not there when Tsuna first opens his eyes. He does not see how _bright_ and lovely and _clear_ their boy's gaze is. Nana had read that babies are born with blue eyes, usually. That they change as time passes. She had been looking forward to watching that change, blue to brown, like hers and Iemitsu's.

Instead, Tsuna opens his eyes and they are _amber_. They are _so beautiful_ that Nana almost cries. She calls Iemitsu and manages to get a hold of him after a few tries. The excitement has not dulled.

"He has the most beautiful eyes," she tells him. "I wish you could see them. I wish you were here, honey."

He says he wishes he was there, too. Take pictures, he says! Send them! He can't wait to see.

She doesn't.

She takes Tsuna to the Namimori clinic the next day instead. Dr. Ueda Koji shines a flashlight in Tsuna's eyes but ultimately finds nothing out of place. Tsuna's just... early.

"It will probably go away as he grows up," the doctor says, marking pupil response on the medical examination sheet. "I see a note here that he displayed a _fiamma_ response a few days after he was born as well?"

"Ah, I.. suppose so?" Nana hums. Her own _fiamma_ response hadn't kicked in until after she started school, if memory serves. "Is that what Dr. Arai had written down?"

"It was. Given that and Tsunayoshi-kun's eyes here, I can only assume that his.. development will start much sooner than most children. But that's fine, most of the Sawada children are like this."

"Even ‘Mitsu?"

"If I remember, he was about 4 when he displayed a _fiamma_ response. His father started at 6 and I believe the generation before that was around 8 years old. Sawada-san, if you're planning to use one of the clinic's calendars to keep track of Tsunayoshi's development, I'm afraid it's going to be quite useless," Dr. Ueda chuckles at the end, with good humor. "I'd give you one specifically for the Sawadas but it looks like Tsunayoshi-kun is blowing even _that_ out of the water."

Nana doesn't know if she's proud or terrified.

* * *

She decides to be terrified and calls her aunt.

Or rather, she calls _Iemitsu's_ aunt. Because the Leveques wouldn't know squat about raising a Sawada.

"Auntie, I don't know what to do!"

" _Nana, dear, calm down._ " As always, Iemitsu's side of the family is so calm and easy-mannered. Too laid-back, some would say. But at a time like this, it _helps_. It helps so much. When Nana's no longer mentally running around in circles, Sawada Yoshinao speaks up again. " _Good. Now, slowly.. what's wrong, Nana?_ "

"Oh, Nao-san.. It's Tsu-kun. I took him to the clinic the other day and- Dr. Ueda says he's already showing signs of _fiamma_ response!"

" _Oh, so soon!_ " Yoshinao gasps almost delicately, but Nana knows better than that. " _I didn't even know you'd had him already. It feels like just yesterday you were still carrying around that baby bump..._ "

"It.. _was_ just yesterday, Nao-san. Oh, well, I suppose it was a week ago now."

" _..Your son is only a week old and has already shown a _fiamma_ response?_ "

"Yes!" Nana feels like crying again. Or yelling. And there is said baby, sitting in his carrier, staring at her with all the wisdom in the world when he should be napping. "I don't know what to do!"

" _Wait- Nana! Nana. It's okay. Calm down, dear, calm down. Breathe, just like I taught you. Remember?_ "

She does. She breathes. Forcefully.

" _Okay. Are you okay now? Thinking clearly now?_ " Nana makes a sound of something like affirmation. " _Good girl. Now, again.. slowly._ "

"Okay." She tries not to whimper. Plasters on a smile that Yoshinao can't see, but Tsu-kun can, and hopefully he won't be to worried. He's only a week old. "Okay. Um... Nao-san, you know I've been.. preparing for a while now. ‘Mitsu thought it was a good idea and helped, since he can't be home too often. I've got all the basic supplies ready."

" _You have a closet full of diapers is what you have, Nana._ " Her aunt laughs quietly.

"Mou!" It smells fresh and clean in there, too. "I had a timeline all set up to mark Tsu-kun's growth too- I even have the screening appointment with Dr. Ueda already set up for next year."

" _Nana, dear, I think you're overreacting._ "

"That's what _maman_[1] said."

" _If your mother thinks you're over-preparing, dear, you probably are. You worry too much! I'm sure Tsu-kun will be fine. Is that his full name?_ "

"Oh! It's Tsunayoshi. Sawada Tsunayoshi."

" _Not Leveque?_ "

"Oh, God, no," Nana replies with a burst of incredulous laughter. "There are enough Leveques on the island, Nao-san."

" _Nonsense. No such thing as enough family members._ "

"Says the one whose family line has taken over the southwestern half of the island with adopted siblings."

" _See? Never enough._ "

Nana doesn't realize until she's sinking into the couch, breathless laughter spilling from her lips. It's a relief. She'd forgotten how much Iemitsu could make her laugh.. how much his _family_ could. It almost makes her wish she hadn't moved to Namimori alone.

Well, okay. She's not technically alone. Iemitsu helped with getting the house set up through the Kokuyo Agency. But she's still _here_ alone, and until Tsuna is a little older, she won't really be able to spend a lot of time on her own. Maybe Tsuna can help her make friends though...

 _Excuses_ , her mind tells her. _You're just afraid._

She is. She is so afraid.

"..I'm scared, Nao-san."

" _Of what, dear?_ " Yoshinao's concern colours her tone, light as it is.

"I'm scared for.. Tsuna. The doctor says he'll be advancing quickly and I- I don't know.. I haven't heard from ‘Mitsu since he called last. That was.. a few days after Tsu-kun was born."

" _..Do you need me to come over, Nana dear?_ "

"Oh, Nao-san," Nana begins, murmured and soft. "You're a wonderful aunt and I would love to see you again, but I really wouldn't want to impose.."

" _Nonsense,_ " Nao-san says again. Nana stifles back a laugh. " _The Hibaris take care of everything these days. I can call for a ride and escort before you can pry open an oyster. And I know you're very good at oyster shucking, dear._ "

"Tied with Tsuyoshi-san for first place. In Namimori, anyway." Which was as good as saying the whole island. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi had come to be renowned as such by most of the island's denizens.

" _I've been telling that boy he could make a killing with the Kokuyos. Taking that lovely wife of his away from her limelight.._ "

" _Nao-san_ ," Nana says chidingly. "Ya-chan had her baby 6 months ago. She's fine with taking a little break."

" _It's been 6 months already? God, no one tells me anything anymore. Oh, that's the car- Okay, Nana dear, you stay put. I'll be there soon._ "

"Wait, Nao-san, you don't have to-"

" _Already on my way~_ "

" _Auntie_!"

" _À bientôt!_ "[2]

* * *

If Nana ever had any fears about aging, it's all thrown out the window by just watching Sawada Yoshinao whisk in her house in a flurry of cloth and colors.

As it is, she spends a good portion of the day with her (Iemitsu's) aunt, holding up baby jumpers against Tsuna to see how he'll look when he gets to wear them in a few years. Nao-san loves dressing up the children and has done so for her 4 nephews and nieces (in-laws and all) and likely intends to do the same for all her grand-nephews and grand-nieces.

After seeing her little Tsuna in an oversized panda hooded cape, Nana doesn't blame her. She can't _wait_ for Tsuna to grow into it.

And judging by the way his eyes seem to twinkle and shine brighter, she thinks _he_ can't wait to grow into them, too.

* * *

Iemitsu does not come home until Tsuna is 6 months old. He stands in the doorway, awestruck, as Tsuna slowly crawls his way over, cooing and bubbling happily under a floppy tiger hood. His hair is still growing out, but what has grown out is so fluffy. _He_ is so _fluffy_. So gentle, so soft.

Tsuna's eyes have dulled to a normal brown by then, but they light up when he smiles, and they still do. They still do. He is a Sawada, and so they always will. Just like Yoshinao's does when she looks at the children she has helped, like Iemitsu's does when he looks at Nana.

Then one day, a few weeks after Iemitsu leaves, Tsuna actually _lights up_. Like a Christmas tree. On fire.

Nana remembers dropping the newly-washed plate in her hands in surprise. A shard nicks her exposed calf and she winces- and just like that, the fire on her baby boy's head goes out as that happy, gurgling laugh turns into a confused and worried mumble.

She isn't sure if she should tell Iemitsu. Babies aren't supposed to... light themselves on fire. Or just their foreheads. Or anything? She's quite sure? She did a lot of reading while pregnant. Lots.

Happy babies with burning foreheads was not mentioned anywhere in those texts. Not even on Kakishima.

Nana immediately checks for burns, for heat, for _anything_ to prove that she hadn't been hallucinating, but there's nothing. Not even a single singed hair on her child's head.

Fatigue, she decides. Just fatigue.

Then it happens again. Usually, Tsuna is smiling or laughing, and every time Nana checks, it doesn't seem like the fire is.. hurting him. He doesn't even seem to realize it's there. Every time, her child's eyes glow again, with that same soft, gentle amber color.

She can't seem to get him to do it when Dr. Ueda is around. The doctor doesn't seem to think she's lying though, and is thoroughly interested in trying to make this ‘fiery forehead' incident happen again. Kokuyo Leader had informed her that she wasn't imagining it, so Dr. Ueda believed her too.

Then, one day, just as the doctor is leaving, Nana asks what Tsuna thinks of having hamburger steak for dinner.

The flame is bright on her boy's brow, and Dr. Ueda is waving a measuring prong over it with an expression of wonder. It's happiness that triggers it, she realizes. 

Pure, unadulterated joy.

"He's the light of my life," she whispers to Iemitsu one night when he calls, with a teary smile. Tsuna is almost 2 years old. "He's so beautiful. I wish you could watch him grow, ‘Mitsu. I wish you were here."

She doesn't say anything about the flames to him. Nor of how ecstatic Dr. Ueda was, how _pleased_ the Kokuyo and Hibari leaders were when they received the report.

Yoshinao, too, is delighted.

* * *

Tsuna grows. Tsuna learns. Tsuna learns _fast_. He starts making word-like sounds far sooner than he probably should, starts trying to _walk_ when he should still be crawling. Nana almost shrieks when she sees him bumbling an attempted run in her direction.

 _To soon_ , she tells herself, her instincts screaming against all pride and wonder she might be feeling. _He's running too soon. Not yet. Slow down, Tsuna._

Tsuna does everything too quickly. Dr. Ueda had been right when he said Tsuna would be blowing those milestones out of the water.

"He's barreling through them like a bull in a China shop, ‘Mitsu," she sighs over the phone, both proud and worried. "I think he's trying to read those books you brought back last year."

" _But they're in Italian,_ " Iemitsu sputters on the other end, a little distracted.

"He said ‘boo joorno' to me this morning, honey."

" _That's not even in those books!_ "

Tsuna's 2nd birthday is spent full of nonsensical baby babbling of Italian-Japanese between father and son, and a smattering of simple French words that Nana has been trying to teach him. She has a hunch that Iemitsu doesn't even really know how old their child is.

Nana learns how to correct Tsuna's pronunciation of _buon giorno_[3]. He says it every day now while giggling and cooing happily at the Italian books Iemitsu leaves lying around. She can't wait for him to start school, though she's a little nervous about it, too.

* * *

She takes Tsuna to the park frequently, when other mothers are out with their children too. None of their neighbors have kids Tsuna's age and Nana is wary of letting Tsuna start school without knowing how he acts around other children. She needn't have worried. Tsuna teaches half of them how to say _ciao_ within the first day. 

They flock around him like birds of a feather, building sand castles and playing make-believe. The power of the imagination is strong. The Namimori Disciplinary Committee loves him for being so well-behaved.

"He's so small for his age," they tell her as they watch the children from the benches. "When is he starting school?"

"Oh," Nana says, hesitant and forlorn. She's proud of Tsuna, but she won't deny that his progress is... very advanced. "Not for a while yet. He's turning 4 this October."

"So young!"

She hears both envy and jealousy mixed in with the genuine wonder and praise. Sometimes she can't help but feel the same towards Tsuna, even if she knows it's unfair.

"So young and so _clever_! I wish my boy were so wonderful... Tsuna looks so well-behaved, too."

He is. Such a lovely, wonderful child. Her wonderful son.

* * *

"‘Mitsu, he's starting school next year! I know you can't be there for that.. but can't you come home for his birthday this year at least? It's been 3 years since he last saw you. I don't want him forgetting his father's face!"

"Nana, you know I'm busy at work.. Construction projects can't just stop for a few weeks because I want to take a vacation and visit my adorable wife and super adorable baby boy. Ah, I miss you two so much!"

"Oh, honey, you're making me blush!"

Iemitsu chuckles on the other line.

"I'll see what I can do for you, my dear sweet wife. Take care, okay? Love you!"

"I love you too, ‘Mitsu."

* * *

He's not in construction. Nana knows some mothers whose husbands are _actually_ in construction and they don't make nearly as much money as Iemitsu does. Michiko says _her_ husband is usually home for a few weeks after projects are done, and _her_ husband has never heard of construction projects going on for years and years.

Nana suspects Iemitsu is lying about his work, though she doesn't say anything about it. Or he's working on some really, really, _really_ big construction projects back to back. He could be a manager.

No. She's quite sure he doesn't actually work in construction at all. After all, there's plenty construction being done on Kakishima, and no need to go off the island.

Nao-san says he'd insisted on leaving the island early to find _better opportunities_ on the mainland, and that, for some reason, Kokuyo Leader had let him go. From there she heard he had hopped a flight overseas. And then nothing for 6 years, when he came home and suddenly introduced his family to his new acquaintance, fiance, _lover_. He introduced them to Nana.

He never talks about it. Nana doesn't ask. The money is transferred to an account for her and Tsuna like clockwork every week.

She doesn't even know what to do with it all.

* * *

Iemitsu comes home a week before Tsuna's 5th birthday with an elderly man behind him, wearing what looks suspiciously like a tacky Hawaiian tourist shirt. Nana wonders how they made it through security. Kokuyo Leader has such a strict fashion sense, after all.

But then again, Kokuyo Leader is also.... well. Eccentric. Kokuyo _in general_ is.

"Nana," he says carefully, "This is my boss, Timoteo."

"Oh! Your supervisor?" She feigns delight and surprise. Iemitsu hadn't said he would be bringing a guest. Guests. "Or- oh, my, is this the owner of your construction company?"

"Ah- yes. He's the owner. Boss... this is Nana. My wife."

" _Ciao_[4], ah, _signore_. Timoteo-san."

"My, my. You never told me your wife could speak _Italiano_ , Iemitsu."

"Our son started learning from the books he left behind," she says delightedly. "I thought I should help him a little bit. I have so much free time, after all. ‘Mitsu takes such good care of us financially... I wanted to surprise him when he came back again to visit!"

"Isn't my wife just splendid, sir? And my son! He learns so quickly! Oh, Nana, I told him about Tsuna and he didn't believe how cute _boo goorno_ was."

Timoteo smiles the way a grandfather would smile, fondly and nostalgic. He's not the owner of a construction company. She didn't miss the slight pause Iemitsu had needed to answer her question, and she doesn't ask what he's doing here.

Nana misses her own father. And grandfather. And mother and grandmother.

"Oh, dear, where are my manners- please, Timoteo-san, come in. Would you like something to drink? We have tea, coffee, water.."

Iemitsu says _tea_ at the same time Timoteo says _coffee_. They look at each other sheepishly, but Nana only giggles and steps aside to let them in.

"The living room is right this way. Shoes off, ‘Mitsu."

Iemitsu is surprisingly well-dressed this time around. Usually when he comes by, he's wearing that strange construction outfit, dirty, muddy boots, and toting around a _pickaxe_ of all things. Nana has learned not to question it. She already knows it's just a front.

While they're getting seated in the couches, she calls out into the hall, "Tsu-kun! Your father's home. Can you keep him and our guest company while I get the drinks?"

To her surprise, there is already the smell of coffee coming from the kitchen. She had put the kettle on, but Tsuna couldn't have- he shouldn't know how..

"Tsu-kun?"

"Coming, _maman_." And there was her boy, carefully maneuvering the baby stroller he had used years ago around the edge of the door. There is a tray with two steaming mugs balanced on it already. Iemitsu and Timoteo are both intently watching the soon-to-be 5 year old boy approach them.

The cups are hot. But Tsuna seems to know that and has put them on little plates meant for teacups, not mugs.

"Papa, _genmai cha_[5]."

"Oh- Tsuna! My favorite!" Iemitsu looks torn between shock and surprise and delight and wanting to pick Tsuna up and swing him around. Unfortunately, Tsuna has the plate and mug in his hands, so her husband can only do the first three as he takes it.

Tsuna is trying very hard not to beam.

 _No flames, Tsu-kun,_ she had told him when Iemitsu confirmed he would be coming back. _It's our secret. Don't let Papa see them yet, okay? We don't want to distract him from work._

Next is a mug of dark brown liquid. Tsuna frowns as he picks it up, something he didn't do with Iemitsu's tea. Maybe the smell of it?

" _Sig... signore. Signor Timoteo._ "[6]

Ah. Nana can't help smiling then.

" _Caffè_!" The elderly man watches with wide eyes, holding his hand out to receive the coffee like an offering. "Sorry we don't have any _espresso_."

"Oh, _grazie_[7], Tsunayoshi-kun."

"Ara, Tsu-kun!" She picks him up carefully, giving him a tight squeeze. Tsuna laughs, throwing arms around her neck. "You should have told me you already had them done."

"Surprise! I can't reach the snacks, though."

"And what a lovely surprise it was." Nana tweaks his nose gently. Iemitsu coos happily behind her at the sight they make. "Did you two want anything to go with the drinks, ‘Mitsu, Timoteo-san?"

"I think we're fine, Nana-san," Timoteo says, gazing down at his mug with a distant look. "Thank you. Tsunayoshi seems to work quickly."

"He is my pride and joy," she smiles, bright and happy. "Ah- let me put this away before someone trips over it. Please, excuse me for a minute. Tsu-kun, you have coffee grounds on your cheek..."

She shoos her son off to the bathroom and rolls the walker back into the closet they had stored it in, collapsing it to fit it back into its box. Maybe one day they'll need it again. Maybe.

Nana pops into the kitchen to make sure nothing is still on or about to burn down the house and finds everything neat and tidy, if not for the chair pushed up against the counter, no doubt so Tsuna could reach the kettle and the coffee maker.

She worries for a moment that Tsuna might have burnt himself on the kettle, and makes her way down to the bathroom to check up on him.

"Tsu-kun, you didn't burn yourself getting the tea, did you?"

"I was very careful!" Tsuna is sitting on the lid of the toilet and holds up both arms to show that there's no burns. Then he says in a quieter voice, "I don't have coffee on my face either, _maman_."

"I know." She leans in conspiratorially, whispering. "Tsu-kun, how did you know which drinks they wanted? Did Papa tell you when he spoke to you over the phone?"

Tsuna shakes his head. "I just knew."

"..How?"

His eyes glimmer then, with that same light and amber richness from when he first opened them.

"The same way we know Papa doesn't work in _kan.. kansatsu._ And Timoteo-san doesn't either."

" _Kansetsu_[8], Tsu-kun," she corrects gently, her lips thinned. She doesn't know what Tsuna means by that, but... she knows. She doesn't question it. After seeing her child's forehead on fire countless times, Nana isn't really sure what to question anymore.

"Danger," Tsuna says, solemn.

"You think his job is dangerous? Maybe he's just trying to protect us..."

"No." Her son shakes his head, eyes wide and bright. " _He's_ dangerous."

Nana blinks. But before she can do or say anything else, Tsuna jumps off the toilet and climbs up the steps to the sink, turns it on, and starts splashing his face. Startled, Nana can only cluck her tongue.

"Tsu-kun, you're getting water all over yourself!"

A soft chuckle behind her makes her and Tsuna both jump- though hers seems more genuine than her son's.

"Looks like our little boy wants to be a tuna fish," Iemitsu says with a warm, eye-crinkling smile. It's sharp.

"I'm going to swim in the ocean one day!"

Tsuna squeals with a laughter that only visits his eyes, enough for Iemitsu to fall apart into a mess of family-loving goo that Nana remembers marrying him for. Her husband picks Tsuna up, wet hands and face and all, and gives him the most exuberant hug Tsuna has probably ever had.

And ever will have.

"Ah, Nana- actually I came to find you to ask if you were going to cook dinner tonight... I do love your cooking, after all! And I want to show you off to my boss! But I want to spoil you at the same time and take you out to a nice, romantic dinner..."

"Is that why you're wearing a suit, papa?"

"Eh- why, yes! That's exactly why." Tsuna gives his father a grin and a peck on the cheek before he's set back down on the ground, scurrying back out to the living room. Nana wants to tell him to change his shirt first, but then Iemitsu has her hand in his again, just like he did all those years ago. 6 years ago. "Nana, love.. I think it's time for us to go on a date."

"Oh." She's breathless. Wary and cautious as she has been about Iemitsu and whatever strange and suspicious things he's been up to, she is still a romantic at heart. And Iemitsu has always been a good romancer. "..Oh, but what about Tsu-kun?"

"I, um.. if you're okay with it, Nana- Timoteo could watch over him." She blinks in surprise. "His- he has four boys back in Italy, all grown and out of the house... The youngest passed away recently."

"Oh!"

It almost sounds like a ruse. Something to garner sympathy for an old man who couldn't possibly be doing the sort of work they say he's doing, to avoid suspicion.

"I thought.. I hoped- he's a good father, and he said he didn't mind watching Tsuna for a few hours."

Well. Two can play at that game.

"I don't want to impose anything on him, ‘Mitsu! Tsu-kun can be such a handful sometimes."

"Four sons, Nana." There's a twinkle in Iemitsu's eyes that isn't quite a lie. "He'll be fine. They'll _both_ be fine."

"But.."

"He passed the interview with Jeong-Seo when he arrived." Well now Iemitsu just seems _desperate_. Hibari was there too."

The last time her husband said anything about the Hibaris or the Kokuyos, it was about how much he hated the island. Still hates it, most likely. And yet here he is.. visiting.

 _Dangerous_ , Tsuna had told her. _He's dangerous_.

The man is dangerous and Iemitsu wants to leave their child with him while they go on a-

"Date, _maman_?" Nana leans over to see Tsuna peering up at them from around the corner of the door with a smile. "You're going on a date with Papa, right?"

"Oh, Tsu-kun.. _Maman_ would love to, but there's no food left in the house for you and Timoteo-san to eat."

"We'll go to TakeSushi! Yamamoto-san makes the best sushi on the island."

Nana smiles, fond and relieved. "That he does, Tsu-kun."

He also happens to be have been a very proficient swordsman at least, maybe even an assassin, before he was accepted into the island. Nana would trust Yamamoto Tsuyoshi with Tsuna's life.

With a flash of a grin, Tsuna bounces off back down the hall. Nana takes her hands back and nudges Iemitsu out of the bathroom.

"Alright, ‘Mitsu, you win. Now go keep your guest company while I get dressed."

* * *

It begins like _this_.

* * *

It begins when she comes home with Iemitsu 4 hours later. They find Tsuna and Timoteo in front of the fireplace. They are wrapped in blankets and, judging by the puddles on the floor, had come in soaking wet.

Tsuna had bumped into some other children on a bridge while they were walking back home, Timoteo says. They were walking a small dog, a chihuahua. Timoteo thinks that Tsuna had been frightened and stumbled through the railing and into the water. In his own panic, Timoteo had jumped in after him.

Crashed in, really.

So, that was the long story short of it.

"Yamamoto-san does make wonderful sushi, though," Timoteo smiles, in that old, grandfatherly way. Tsuna is curled up next to him. "It's unfortunate the day had to end this way."

 _Not really_ , Nana wants to say, but bites her lip. _He wasn't frightened of that dog and it wasn't an accident. It could have been worse._

She knows. She's seen the way the town treats her boy, the way the other children do, once they were old enough to know how to do so. Once they were old enough to say the same things their parents said. Tsunayoshi the Outsider, the half-citizen. Tsunayoshi, the boy whose father wanted nothing to do with his homeland.

But Tsuna knows how to swim. They live on an island, after all. If no one is around when Tsuna _accidentally_ falls into the water again....

"Darling," she whispers, giving Iemitsu short pats on his back, "will you fetch some towels from the washroom? Drop them on any water spots you see. I'll clean them up later."

"Eh?"

"Meanwhile, I have some hot chocolate to make for these two. I hope they've changed out of their wet clothes at least..."

* * *

That night, Tsuna lingers at the edge of the bathtub a little too long, distracted and looking a little more... _less_. Nana thinks, hopes, that it's just the lingering chill from being all but dumped into the river.

He's five years old. He's smarter and cleverer and _better_ than others his age.

Tonight, he lets Nana help wash off the lingering clumps of mud and dirt, scrub out the bits of moss and grass that had managed to get into his hair. He lets her bandage the few cuts and scrapes he had gotten, rub cooling ointment on places that are starting to bruise. He even squeaks and giggles when she washes his face.

"Ara, Tsu-kun, what's this on your forehead?" There is a small mark, like an old scab. Nana has something like it on her arm from vaccines and immunizations and so does Tsuna, but she doesn't recall any reason why he would have one on his head.

"That's where my flames came out from, _maman_."

"Is it? I never noticed it before." But then, Tsuna's fringe is usually long enough to cover it. It's been years since Nana brushed them aside this much. "..Did they push you in, Tsu-kun?"

For once, Tsuna doesn't answer her. Or rather, he does answer. But he says

"I don't remember."

which Nana doesn't understand, because Tsuna _always_ remembers. He remembers the first time he saw Nana's face. He remembers the first time he saw Iemitsu's face, 6 months after he was born (and scowling as babies do, because he already knows that his father should have been there _earlier_ ).

Sawada Tsunayoshi remembers every day he has lived so far with a clarity that astounds Nana. Not only clarity, but accuracy. Longevity. He remembers, and he remembers so _well_...

"You must have been so scared, Tsu-kun," she says quietly, and leans in to press a kiss on that blemish on her son's face. "It's okay. You're alright now. It's okay..."

The bathwater sloshes. Tsuna trembles and shakes, sniffles under her hands. Shock, Nana tells herself. He's coming out of shock. The rains have been plentiful lately and the river water must have been deep. He could have drowned. _He could have_ -

"Cold, _maman_ ," Tsuna whines into her now damp shirt. "M'cold."

Nana makes soft shushing sounds, gentle hums, and starts rinsing suds from Tsuna's hair. This is wrong, she knows, her son doesn't whine or complain or _cry_ he _never cries_ but

_but_

it makes her feel like a mother now. A proper mother, with a proper son. A 5 year old child who is petulant and whining and has trouble putting his clothes on and scowls so very cutely while doing so.

A child who trips on his way out the door and has to steady himself against Nana's leg with a yelp. And it would be so normal, so _normal_ , if Tsuna didn't look absolutely terrified out of his mind at that very moment.

Tsunayoshi is never terrified. He chases the monsters out from under his bed by himself.

In that moment, Nana is scared, too. Scared at how normal this must be and how _wrong_ it feels instead.

But then Tsuna looks up at him, fear receding into an undercurrent of newfound anxiety, his brow furrowed in concentration. And he smiles. Shaky, and small, but it is the same. It is the same as all his smiles have been, and yet so different.

"I'm okay, _maman_." Something fades away. Nana sees it in the way Tsuna's shoulders bunch up like they never have before, drawing closer to himself. Making himself smaller. "..I'm okay."

She doesn't believe him.

But she still says "Okay," and she still gives him a quick hug and another kiss to his forehead, earning a disgruntled whine that is starting to really grow on her. "Then it's off to bed for you, little mischief maker."

Nana wishes she noticed the signs sooner, before Iemitsu and Timoteo left. Before everything fell to pieces and had to be put back together again.

* * *

"Oh, Timoteo-san, have you had a tour of the island yet?"

"I don't expect to be here for too much longer, Nana-san. An old man like me isn't much one for sightseeing or.. all those newfangled entertainments."

"Kokuyo has quite a number of affordable luxury resorts for all ages. I've been to a few of them myself. _Very_ good for unwinding and relaxing."

"Oh? Do you visit that side of the island often, Nana-san?"

"My family lives there. I used to live there myself until I met ‘Mitsu."

"What made you decide to move here to Namimori?"

"I loved Koyano.. I grew up there, so it will always be my home. But I had a feeling that Tsu-kun- well, he wasn't born yet, but it's motherly instincts, right? Somehow I knew he wouldn't really.. fit in. ‘Mitsu thought Namimori would be better for Tsu-kun, too."

"Do you think about moving back after Tsunayoshi is all grown up?"

"My, I don't know.. Namimori is starting to grow on me. Tsu-kun is growing so quickly though, he'll be leaving the house before I know it."

"Well, I hope he stays with you for as long as he is able."

"Mm, I hope so, too."

* * *

* * *

Tripping is a _marvel_ and a half for one young Sawada Tsunayoshi.

It's a marvel and a damn right pain in the a- sorry. He isn't supposed to curse. Teacher's orders.

Tsuna has a hard time keeping track of the days and weeks and months between his father's visits now. It was so easy in the past, he still remembers it from those times back then. 6 months, 2 weeks, and 3 days from the day he was born. 1 year, 5 months, 1 week, and 4 days after that one. 3 more years after that. He was 5 years old.

Tsuna is 7 now and loses track of how many times he trips within the first few hours of starting the day. He's not even sure how or _why_ he's tripping.

Dr. Ueda says it's something called _sindrome fiamme sfollati_. Displaced Flames Syndome. They say it's like trying to walk again after losing your legs.

Tsuna clutches at the cold, cold, _cold_ deep in his chest and thinks, _yes_. Yes. That's exactly what it's like.

(He doesn't wonder why it's Italian though. He finds out soon enough, later.)

But knowing that it's real and not imagined doesn't help. Knowing what's wrong with him doesn't make it easier to explain. Knowing _something_ is wrong doesn't make it easier to block out the chant of _No Good Tsuna, No Good Tsuna, No Good Tsuna_. Useless Tsuna, who can't run without falling over, who can't even do his multiplication tables anymore ( _he was so good at them before starting school_ ).

He is useless but he is also 7 years old, and children say mean words and call him mean names, but they're still sticks, not quite stones yet. Not quite stones.

_Not quite stones._

Tsuna's father is somewhat disappointed to find that Tsuna hasn't made any progress in his Italian in the past two years. Of course not. Tsuna can't even concentrate on his _homework_ , never mind trying to read in another language when the house creaks late at night, and the house across the street always waters their lawn in the evening and the neighbor's dog won't _stop barking_.

Tsuna yelps when his father sneaks up and scares him and seems to think it's _adorable_ and won't stop doing it every time he gets the chance during his stay. Even though Tsuna doesn't like it and tries not to cry, because he's a Sawada and a big boy and neither of those are supposed to cry just because they're scared. They're _not_.

(Tsuna cries at night when it's cold, _so cold_ , but he's not scared. The cold doesn't scare him. It just makes him so _lonely_.)

Even Tsuna's mother tells him enough is enough after a few days. It's not cute anymore, just _mean_. Even if his father doesn't really mean to hurt his feelings. Tsuna sniffles and buries his face in his father's clothing when his father apologizes and he _whines_ like a

like a petulant child being made fun of. Puffed cheeks. _Pouting._

Tsuna's father smothers him in cooing kisses until Tsuna whines again and struggles to escape his father's death grip. It's never happened before- usually Tsuna accepts his father's affections with a brimming smile and a hug. Judging by his father's reaction each time compared to this time, it.. must have been odd. Perhaps?

The weather is cooling down again and Tsuna's cheeks are rosy, waving from the porch. Two Hibari escorts stand next to the rental car, ready to drive Iemitsu back to the airport. Tsuna and Nana are, as usual, not permitted to go with Iemitsu to see him off.

"I'll be back soon, Nana dear! Take care of yourself, little fish."

"I will!" Tsuna calls back. He rubs at a bruise under the sleeve of his arm, passed off as an accident from tripping on the stairs. It's not entirely a lie.

"I wonder how long he'll be gone this time," his mother sighs next to him. Not in disappointment or sadness, but something like resignation. They both know that he will, at some point.

Probably.

"He'll come back," Tsuna says, in a rare moment of insight. Rare these days, after he came home soaking wet and chilled to the bone. Chilled to the core. "..But it'll be too late."

"Hm?"

"Nothing!" Tsuna grins suddenly. He misses the feeling of fire flicking on his head, in his heart. "Just that _maman_ will probably marry someone else who's actually around and helps with housework and takes me to school and makes food so _maman_ doesn't have to do everything."

" _Tsu-kun!_ "

* * *

He doesn't mean it. Not really.

  
[1] maman: (french) mother, mom. nana is actually part french here.  
[2] À bientôt: (french) good bye, see you soon  
[3] buon giorno: (italian) good morning  
[4] ciao: (italian) a greeting, and a farewell.  
[5] genmai cha: japanese brown rice tea.  
[6] signore: (italian) sir, mister. it's signor when using it like ‘Mr. Timoteo', as opposed to something like ‘thanks, mister'  
[7] grazie: (italian) thank you  
[8] kansatsu means observation ; kansetsu is construction  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> QUICK RUNDOWN OF SETTING: namimori is a town set on an island officially known as Kakishima (lit. oyster island). it's shaped a little like an oyster. or a clam. the island is roughly symmetrical and runs more or less vertical to the world to make it easier on us.
> 
> the Hibari Estate (of which all Hibari Main Family members are part of, as well as non-Hibari-folk) oversees the western half of the island. it's a bit more normal, more disciplined, more screwed up. namimori is in the northern part of the western half.
> 
> the Kokuyo Estate oversees the eastern half, which is tourism-based, entertainment abound, and just really weird. the town of Kokuyo proper is in the northern part, like namimori. Kokuyoland will be here but will probably not make much of an appearance for a while so there you go. koyano, the town that nana mentions, is a little bit south of kokuyo proper.
> 
> the leaders are always referred to as Hibari Leader and Kokuyo Leader respectively, barring informalities in which their actual names are used. the current Kokuyo Leader's surname is Jeong-Seo, which Iemitsu uses because he hates the island. he has reasons. the island more or less hates him too.
> 
> flames are public knowledge on the island. iemitsu is so confused when the mafia tries to tell him it's mainly a mafia thing and he literally grew up with it on a secluded island in the middle of the sea near japan. where there are no mafia at all.


	2. KYOUYA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNINGS:** mentions of nonspecific medication. depiction of nonspecific disorder behavior. general hibari-style violence. kyouya and tetsuya holding hands.

* * *

**HIBARI SHIRATORI KYOUYA;** or Nobody Does What They're Supposed To Do Except Kusakabe Tetsuya

* * *

Hibari Kyouya first meets Sawada Tsunayoshi when the other boy is 7 years old and still considered an _outsider_ , for all that he and his mother were born and raised on Kakishima. The boy's father is the one who abandons the island.

(One day, someone will tell him that people owe loyalties to countries, to organizations and to people. Not to islands that are technically part of other countries.

Kyouya won't care. The island accepted him and provides for all, and only the foolish and reckless would declare so openly that they hated it. Iemitsu is one of them. There is a reason why no one calls him _Sawada_ if they can help it.)

The boy's father is the one who is all but legally disowned from the Sawada line, because the man's father still loves him, for all that he's done (or hasn't done).

Kyouya takes care of himself. He lives with Kusakabe Tetsuya, his second-in-command since- well, since Kyouya singled him out in his second year of primary school. Tetsuya's second year, anyway. Kyouya's first year. Kyouya's too young to be chairman and actually _need_ a second-in-command, but he is a Hibari and it is said that every Hibari instinctively recruits their second-in-command early.

Kyouya is not _even_ a Hibari yet when he pulls Tetsuya aside and declares the older boy his right hand man. The paperwork is still being filed, okay? It counts. He's still a Hibari.

He was a Hibari then. Three years later, and he is _definitely_ a Hibari. (Or, well, is still on the road to legally becoming one.)

The duties of the Hibari Estate ( _Syndicate_ , some say) are as follows:

To uphold the peace of Kakishima between its citizens.

To defend the citizens of Kakishima from outside harm.

To protect the citizens of Kakishima from outside influence.

To accept the citizens of Kakishima as one's own, as one's charges, and to take responsibility for them.

There is a list of rules that was drilled into his head, to be enforced on the populace, from the day his adoption papers are filed. Kyouya is still a Shiratori by _law_ , but only until he is 15. Everyone calls him Hibari anyway, because it's inevitable.

He is a Hibari. He takes his duties seriously.

So Kyouya is in the nurse's office, looking upon a first year student who claims to have fallen down the stairs and fractured a rib. The boy has other bruises, too.

He looks like he's in pain, but Kyouya senses nothing else on his mind.

"Report, Nurse Katou."

To respect the citizens of Kakishima. That's one of the duties too.

"Just the same as what you've heard, Hibari-san. Tsunayoshi-kun says he tripped and fell down a flight of stairs."

"He broke a rib."

"Hairline fracture. It will take a few weeks to heal. I've sent the notice to the school board to exempt him from any strenuous activities. Hibari-san, please take this notice to the Disciplinary Committee as well."

He does. A pink slip of paper, with a neatly written note to excuse one Sawada Tsunayoshi from gym classes for the next 3 weeks, pending future evaluation on his healing progress. Kyouya doesn't need to _ask_ , but-

"Why does the Disciplinary Committee need to be made aware of this incident, Nurse Katou?"

Her writing pauses on the clipboard, a momentary lull in the ceaseless scratching. On the bed, Tsunayoshi looks away.

"The stairwell seems to be a very dangerous place lately, Hibari-san. Tsunayoshi-kun is the third student this week, though no one else suffered more than a few bruises."

He nods in understanding. Then he pauses.

"...Class exemption notices are usually sent to the Chairman's office. "

"That is.. correct, Hibari-san."

"..And I am the current Chairman."

"You.. are."

He frowns, just so.

"Why am I here to receive the notice personally?"

"Kusakabe-san and his group are still dealing with the, ah... the stairs."

Ah.

"They are dutiful." Kyouya gives a grunt and a nod. "Very well. I will accept your reasoning for calling me away from my patrol."

The nurse gives him a smile. In another city, another part of Japan, a nurse might have taken offense to being addressed this way. But they are in Namimori, Kakishima. This is normal.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Kyouya says next, turning upon the fluffy-headed creature ensconced in bandages and blankets. And hair. Kyouya has honestly never seen that much hair on a boy. The nurse returns to her duties in another corner of the room. "As a member of the Disciplinary Committee, I am required to inform you to be more careful when taking the stairs at Namimori Primary. Use the railings when possible, to maintain balance. In the future, any instances of physical force on your person while using the stairs should be reported to the-"

"I tripped."

Kyouya's mouth snaps shut silently, eyebrows drawing together at being interrupted. Not that he enjoys citing passages from the rulebook, but it is his duty, and he will perform his duty.

He has never been interrupted before.

"I.. I'm clumsy, Hibari-san. I'll be more careful next... next time." The other boy doesn't look at him- _won't_ look at him. Can't? "No one pushed me. I tripped and- and fell."

"You were bumped into with force."

"I- I ran into someone-"

"Your efforts to protect the perpetrators is admirable, Sawada Tsunayoshi, but unnecessary. There were witnesses. We are questioning them at the moment."

"No- no there weren't!" The other boy looks terrified, knuckles white over the bedsheets clenched between his fingers. "Nothing! No one! I just-"

"Stairwells in Namimori Primary are wide enough to avoid contact when walking along the rails," Kyouya continues, undeterred. "Your incident occurred during a class period. There would not have been enough traffic to warrant colliding with another student with enough force to be sent down the stairs. Furthermore, you have no reason to be on the second floor. That alone is evidence of crowding."

"I wasn't-"

"Crowding herbivores will be bitten to death, as per disciplinary code."

"They _weren't_ -!"

" _They_. Plural form. Implies a party of two or more, including one victim, outside of class during class hours. Thus, _crowding_. Verbal evidence has been recorded. Your cooperation is appreciated, Sawada Tsunayoshi." Kyouya reaches into the inner pocket of his _gakuran_[1] to turn off the recorder. "You will heed the advice of the head nurse regarding your recovery schedule. Follow it."

Kyouya gives another pause, ignoring the mumbles of the bedridden student in front of him.

"Do not fall down the stairs again."

With that, he nods to himself and turns to leave, having gone down the list for every possible code that needed to be stated. Kyouya is 9 years old and takes his job very seriously.

But still. He needs to remember to grab another Committee member to come with him next time. This is way too many words for one day.

Kyouya exits the nurse's office and returns to his route to finish it quickly and hole himself up in the office for the rest of the day. If the Committee members find it strange that their 9 year old Chairman refuses to communicate in anything but grunts thereafter, they say nothing of it.

Besides, Tetsuya comes back not longer after and has far more luck in translating Kyouya's grunts than their secretary does.

* * *

Two weeks later, Kyouya finds himself in a very familiar position at the end of a bed in the nurse's office, again. He recalls a passing note on his desk not days ago that Tsunayoshi should already be well enough to return to gym class. And yet.

_And yet._

"Nurse Katou."

She looks a little more solemn this time around. Tsunayoshi is actually not awake, but whether he's asleep or unconscious, Kyouya won't know unless he asks. But it's an irrelevant tidbit that he doesn't need to know.

"This week's gym class activity was soccer. The teacher on duty collected multiple statements that Tsunayoshi-kun had stumbled and fallen to the ground. At the same time, the opposing team was passing the ball, and the path happened to intersect with where Tsunayoshi-kun had fallen." She flips to the next page. "The ball struck him in the chest.. I suspect some torn muscle and extensive bruising over his torso, possibly a sprained ankle from his fall."

Kyouya exhales forcefully through his nose, scowling. How troublesome.

"Recovery period?"

"..If they were any broken I would recommend at least 6 weeks. But he seems to heal quickly.. 4 weeks at the most, though the bruising could last for months. His previous fractures might..."

"4 weeks." Kyouya glides over to accept yet another pink slip to be recorded and forwarded to the school administration board. "Has his guardian been notified?"

"Not yet."

"Do so, nurse. Same as before. Sawada Tsunayoshi will be permitted school leave should his condition require it. You may let his guardian know the details. I.. will put a request through to the Main Family for a doctor to help him recover."

"Hibari-san, that is not necessary-"

"His injuries were due to our Committee negligence. We will see to it that he recovers properly."

The nurse frowns, and she says, "It was an accident, Hibari-san," though it is quite clear to Kyouya that she doesn't believe it herself.

"It happened on Committee grounds, in the presence of Committee members. By Tetsuya's report, it could have been avoided. Therefore it is our negligence and, thus, our responsibility."

His hands twitch, fingers reaching for the baton at his hip. _Too many words_ , and he grinds his teeth together.

"..I have patrols to return to."

She sighs to his back. Kyouya snarls into the open air once outside and returns to his office, awaiting his second-in-command's final report.

* * *

" _How_ ," Kyouya growls. In his rising irritation he forgets what he'd meant to follow that up with and hisses again.

Luckily, Tetsuya is here this time. Or rather, luckily Kyouya managed to grab the older boy's arm and drag him away from the scene to accompany him. Not the nurse's office this time, but the clinic.

"I.. think he means, how did this happen, Sasagawa Kyouko?"

Next to the bed, Sasagawa Kyouko sniffles and holds on tight to Tsunayoshi's hand. Kyouya thinks it's about time he calls the Main Family to take over the situation, but judging by the look in Tsunayoshi's eyes, the boy will fight tooth and nail to keep that from happening.

"Tsuna-kun... h-he- was protecting me. Onii-san too- there were.. there were high school students waiting for us outside the school. Onii-san tried to g-get them to leave-" Her voice trembles now, trying so hard not to cry. Tsunayoshi's expression is pinched, wincing whenever the antiseptic touches down, but not otherwise upset. "I'm-I'm sorry, Tsuna, if I-I hadn't asked you t-to-"

"It's extremely not your fault, Kyouko!" Sasagawa Ryouhei shouts from the other bed, only to be shushed into staying still by the doctor tending to the wound on his forehead. "It extremely isn't."

"B-but.. both y-you and Tsuna were h-hurt because of m-me."

"We're okay, Kyouko-chan," Tsunayoshi says softly. He hasn't looked up this entire time, as though entranced by the darkening red patches of bruising along his arm. Kyouya notices he has significantly more than Sasagawa Ryouhei does. "We're.. okay."

"We are! If Sawada hadn't been there, I think I would be getting extremely more than three stitches."

That only seems to set off Kyouko's trembling and whimpering more. Kyouya doesn't think he's ever seen her this upset before. He doesn't think he's ever seen her even the _slightest_ bit upset before. Not like this.

"Sasagawa Kyouko," Kyouya says, stepping forward. Her shoulders jerk and stiffen. "Did you recognize the students who attacked you?"

She shakes her head.

"Sasagawa Ryouhei. Sawada Tsunayoshi." The last name is said with a slight grimace. "Did either of you recognize them? Would you be able to identify them if they stood before you?"

"I extremely could!" The elder Sasagawa shouts stiffly, but Kyouya doubts it.

Kyouko nods, briefly and hesitantly.

Sawada Tsunayoshi does not deign to look in his direction and does not answer. At least, not right away.

"I got knocked in the head, Hibari-san," he says by way of explanation. "Not a reliable witness."

Sasagawa Kyouko and the doctor confirm this injury, the latter stating there might be a mild concussion, and Kyouya lets it go this time.

"Your accounts have been duly noted. Tetsuya."

Then Kyouya turns, leaving his second-in-command in charge of reading the part of the code that pertains to requesting a Committee member to escort them back home for the few days following this attack while the incident is investigated.

Kyouya needs to have a talk with the Committee Upper Division representatives.

* * *

Shopping with Tetsuya afterwards will be something of a cathartic activity for the two of them in the future, but for now it's little more than an annoyance. Mostly what they purchase is office supplies and snacks for the Committee office room. Their caretaker makes sure the house is stocked with necessities, and they add what they like, occasionally.

Kyouya decides that when he enters junior high, he will commandeer another room for his own personal office, if the Committee office does not have one available _with a locking door_. He's tired of having to share his snacks and hamburger steaks. Also his lychee Calpis[2]. There's plenty of Ramune[3] in the Committee fridge, but Kyouya suspects the older students are trying to knock him down a peg by taking his favorite food and beverages.

"Kyouya-san."

Tetsuya's undertone is far too gruff for a 10 year old, Kyouya notes idly. He stops trying to glare holes into the case of Ramune as though that would incite it into putting up a fight to sate his irritation.

"They keep taking my Calpis," Kyouya says in a huff. He puts the soft drink into the cart and grabs a few more bottles of Calpis. "I'm getting my own refrigerator in junior high."

"I... don't think the school budget covers refrigerators, Kyouya-san."

" _My_ budget does." [4]

"Ah." Tetsuya seems to give it some thought. "..Then you would need to purchase a new one for high school. And.. university."

"We'll take it with us."

 _We, us_. He probably is supposed to mean the Committee itself, but when Kyouya says it, he thinks about himself and Tetsuya. It could imply.. crowding. But two is not a crowd, and they are not and would never be exhibiting any crowding behaviors. It's safe. It's grouping.

(Not herding, because Tetsuya is.. not that sort of a herbivore.)

With this internal revelation, Kyouya nods to himself and pulls the cart along because he isn't quite tall enough to reach the handlebars yet, like Tetsuya is.

Maybe next year.

* * *

Kyouya is 10 years old. Tetsuya stands next to him. They are permitted to wear their school uniforms, _gakuran_ , and the Committee armbands pinned to their sleeves. Same as last year.

"Are you ready?" The woman before him asks. She wears the standard green Kokuyo uniform with darker trousers, decorated with cords and a patch designating her rank. Her hair is tucked under the black cap on her head.

She is Jeong-Seo, his mind supplies once again. Jeong-Seo Kaede. She is the current Kokuyo Leader.

Possibly. Kokuyo Leader is very fond of illusions.

Kyouya is not.

"Yes," he says, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve.

"This way, then."

She leads them out of the waiting room of the Miura Household branch manor in Gendo-cho[5] and down the hall, past the west wing of interview rooms, and into the visitor's wing in the north.

"Shiratori Kyouya here for Shiratori Ise and Shiratori Daichi," she intones smoothly to the receptionist.

"Welcome back, Hibari-kun." Kyouya does not know how to smile, but his heart lightens every time the receptionist greets them during their yearly visits. He supposes this is what affection is. Motherly. Probably. "The Shiratoris are waiting in room 8-A. They're ready to receive you."

Her eyes are brown and something like empty and idle, but her brow never furrows when she speaks to him. Her lips are colored and lax, not pursed or pinched. She sits in her seat with all the poise and grace of an office worker, and if there is tension in her shoulders, he knows it is because she has been here for hours now since the beginning of her shift.

The male receptionist at the other desk is the same. Kyouya catches his gaze and the smile he receives is customary and pleasant.

A father.

Kyouya leaves these thoughts behind and follows Kokuyo Leader to the designated door. The sleeves of his _gakuran_ flutter at his sides, settling like the ruffle of birds' wings. Ready to take flight, perhaps. He does not entertain the idea of it.

He takes a breath and pushes the door open. Strides into the room and sits himself down at the table across from the man and woman on the other side.

"..Kyouya."

They regard him with a chilled sort of expectation. He does the same to them.

"Good afternoon, _haha-ue. Chichi-ue_." [6]

He wants to hold Tetsuya's hand.

  


He doesn't, in the end. But the thought lingers in the back of Kyouya's mind like a cockroach after a nuclear fallout. It's there and it won't die.

His condition and progress have been deemed _acceptable_ by the Shiratoris. They ask him how he is. What he's been doing. 

Kyouya has been well. He has been Chairman of the Namimori Precinct Disciplinary Committee for 3 years now and must maintain his health to lead it. And also to beat off challengers.

"How is it in the Committee?"

"It is flourishing."

Doing well, for having a 9-now-10-year-old chairman.

"How have the Hibaris been..?"

"...They treat me well."

Aside from his new guardians, Kyouya has only met the Hibari who is the official caretaker and owner for the house he and Tetsuya are living in, until either of them are legally old enough to own it. His guardians seem to like him well enough, anyway.

"How is school, Kyouya?"

School is noisy. His brow twitches. "There are many people to bite to death."

"Bite to death?" they ask.

"Discipline," Tetsuya tells them evenly. For an 11 year old. "Consequences for infraction of code."

"What code?" they ask, as they have always asked. Every year. They don't seem to understand.

It makes Kyouya irritation spike.

"City ordinance," he says in a soft growl. "School code. We ensure that safety laws are adhered to and no unnecessary harm comes to the citizens."

"Oh." Shiratori Ise purses her lips, eyes narrowed. Brow furrowed. "..But you're only 10, Kyouya. It's not safe for you to do be doing things like that."

"I have been a member of the Committee since I was 6. I have been Chairman since I was 7."

"You're still too young to-"

"We don't direct traffic, _chichi-ue_."

They look at each other in confusion. It only makes Kyouya more irritated.

"What he means, Shiratori-san," Tetsuya picks up for him, as a second-in-command should, "is that we do what we are able to do. Anything dangerous is left to the Senior Division of the Committee- the adults."

Tetsuya smartly fails to mention that Kyouya is capable of doing much more than other precincts and is far more willing to chase down criminals than redirect traffic. Partly because his current peers aren't yet tall enough to direct traffic.

And chasing criminals is more... useful.

(Fun, probably. But he doesn't yet know the meaning of that word.)

"Well.. if it makes you happy, Kyouya," Shiratori Daichi manages a grim sort of smile. Kyouya realizes it's in response to his own slight smile.

He stops smiling.

"It does." Kyouya senses there is nothing left to speak off, through something he would later come to know as _battle sense_. There will be no more strikes, no more attacks. No more challenges. He stands. "I have to return to school, _haha-ue, chichi-ue_."

"It's Sunday."

"I have... paperwork."

Surprisingly, Shiratori Daichi snorts before he can help himself.

"So-sorry, Kyouya, I just.. you sounded so much like me just then."

"Your father hates paperwork, Kyouya," Shiratori Ise says in a rueful, fond manner.

They smile at each other. For a moment, Kyouya gets that same lightness in his chest, the kind from watching the two receptionists. What is it? Is it the way they regard him, or the way they regard at each other? They didn't even look at each other.

He'll ask someone about it later. Maybe Tetsuya. Tetsuya is very responsible and.. emotional. Yes, he'll have to ask Tetsuya.

"Like father like son, I suppose," says the man who calls himself his father. There is a tentative smile.

Kyouya feels light enough to respond in kind. Less tentative, more methodical and calculated. It is a smile that is little more than a pull of lips in the upward direction that he had practiced before the mirror with the help of a doctor and Tetsuya nearby.

It does not reach his eyes, but it is _in_ his eyes.

"Yes. It is."

They look... content. Happy? He doesn't know.

Kyouya looks to Tetsuya for a moment, the smile dropping. His second-in-command gives an imperceptible nod and heads for the door to open it. He turns back to the Shiratoris and notes that they are not as surprised by his sudden decision to depart, as they were the first two times.

"..Until next year, _haha-ue. Chichi-ue._ "

"Until next year," Shiratori Daichi nods. His shoulders are no longer tight and drawn inward.

"Happy birthday, Kyouya." Shiratori Ise smiles, uplifting and pretty. Just the way Kyouya remembers from when he was young. Younger. Much younger. "Do you think we could.. visit your- your home, next time?"

Kyouya considers it for a moment. If it's them as they are now, then.. perhaps.

"I will.. confer. With my doctor." And Tetsuya. Because it's Tetsuya's house too. "Then..."

He stops. He's not really sure what the process is.

Kokuyo Leader places a hand on his shoulder. He knows because her hand is larger than Tetsuya's, and colder. Cooler. Is she even physically here?

"Hibari-kun will put a request through to the Kakishima Administrative Board for a visiting permit for the two of you, Shiratori-san. We will consider the advice of his primary care doctor as well as Hibari-kun's well being. If it is approved, a confirmation notice will be sent to your household with instructions on how to proceed."

He memorizes her words.

"Do you know the way back to the entrance, Hibari-kun?"

He nods.

Tetsuya and he are escorted off the grounds and into a sleek black car. The Hibari escort at the wheel drives them past the island port, back home. To Namimori.

* * *

Kyouya holds the glass container in his lap. His brow pinches in concentration.

"State your resolve, Hibari-kun."

"..My resolve." It's a question. It's the same question every year. He remembers words, but he can never remember.. _this_.

"Why do you live?"

"I live to fight." There. A flicker of something, of warmth, under the fluttering of his heart. The glass warms between his hands. It knows its place, like he does.

"Why do you fight?"

"I.." Pinches. "To preserve order. It is my duty. As a Hibari."

The flicker brightens. A tiny spark appears within the glass and his focus zeroes in on it. He's getting.. closer? Perhaps he should continue?

"..Herbivores are easier to observe when they are organized and peaceful. And.. not chaotic."

The flame expands to about 2 inches in height. And sputters out. Kyouya sighs through the tightening in his chest.

"Would you like to try again, Hibari-kun?"

He does, and he nods. But first: "My.. parents. They want to visit my house. Next year."

"Ah. Distracted, are you?" The doctor, Ueda Koji, hums. Kyouya sets the container down on the table. "...You don't want them to?"

"..I don't know."

"Well, you still have a few months to submit a visitor's request to the Administration Board. Give it some time. It's only been a week." Doctor Ueda gives him the kind of look that Tetsuya does sometimes. Something soft. " _You_ need to be comfortable letting them into the house, Hibari-kun. I'm glad to hear that you're eager to make a decision, but you have time."

"I might forget."

" _You_ won't forget, Hibari-kun."

He... is right about that. Kyouya does not forget, not when it's important. He read an entire encyclopedia on mammals and doesn't think he's forgotten any of it.

(So if he forgets this, then, that means it isn't important. Right?)

Kyouya nods and shuffles aside the thoughts of how to prepare the house for a familial visit like putting old toys away in labeled boxes. He immediately feels better.

Reaching for the glass again, the spark of purplish flame comes back, floating in mid-air within it. He takes a deep breath and exhales.

"Now, once more. State your resolve."

His mind grabs at it quicker than his mouth does, grasping the now handful-sized flame of brilliant violet.

"I live to fight."

"Why do you fight?"

"I fight because--"

* * *

He watches a bottle roll away after knocking it out of a hand it doesn't belong to. Distantly, his mind supplies the necessary information.

Iwahara Daiki. 5th grade. Of note, allergic to walnuts and slightly asthmatic.

The pill bottle reads S. Tsunayoshi. A chemical name that Kyouya cannot pronounce. The doctor listed is Ueda Koji. Kyouya rolls it around curiously with the toe of his shoe to read the dosage instructions. It's dated three weeks ago.

Then he looks up with his eyes, not his head.

Sawada Tsunayoshi curls inward suddenly as though noticing his change in focus, making an aborted attempt to reach for the bottle under Kyouya's foot. There are bruises on his wrists. The expression on his face is notably prey-like- _everything_ about him is prey-like. The hunch of his shoulders, his shuffling gait, every jumpy, startled sound that he makes. Deer in headlights.

 _Stags should have antlers_ , says his infinite breadth of accumulated useless knowledge. _Comes in with velvet before mating season. Maybe puberty will change him._

Kyouya rolls his foot off the bottle and allows the smaller boy to snatch it up. The student behind him lets out a groan. Kyouya's chest tightens; he turns around and kicks the older boy in the side again, resulting in another yelp and a raspy, coughing whine.

Distantly, the necessary information is supplied once more.

Kyouya bypasses Tsunayoshi's school bag, worksheets and bento contents spilled on the ground, and digs out the inhaler from Iwahara Daiki's schoolbag and pushes it to his mouth. Once the student's breathing returns to a normal pained gurgle, Kyouya takes out his radio and switches to the frequency of the primary school's nurse's office.

He gives their exact location, the nature of the injuries inflicted by his own hands, their presumed severity, and adds that Iwahara Daiki is asthmatic, though he has his inhaler. Iwahara Daiki scowls at him from where he's lying, hand curled around his inhaler like a lifeline, but makes no other movements, not after the previous one earned him a kick in the side. Two more students are unconscious behind him, bruises beginning to purple on their cheek and jaw and temple. One, he notes, wears a uniform from the junior high school.

Kyouya switches the radio volume down, allows the slightest pinching in his brow, and begins.

"Iwahara Daiki. You were found guilty of crowding and stealing medication from another student. For this infraction of code, you and your peers were bitten to death. A medical team will arrive to see to your injuries." There's a stain on his baton, dark red on the wood. Probably blood. Kyouya wipes it on the leg of his pants. "You are advised not to repeat these actions for your own sake."

The rulebook has little to say on behalf of instigators, other than the severity of punishment recommended along with a warning. It's more verbose when it comes to victims.

Which is why Kyouya marches off in the direction Sawada Tsunayoshi probably disappeared into, following his retreat from the battlefield.

 _Tufted deer_. Useless knowledge. Not so useless sometimes. _Frightens easily. Displays white rump while fleeing and loses pursuers by simply hiding. Minimal antlers. May have fangs. Should not be dangerous._

Kyouya knocks his baton on the door of the boy's bathroom to announce his arrival and follows the startled yelp to find the little animal in an open stall, colored pills scattered over the floor and in the toilet bowl. His eyes are wide and his lip trembles, like Sasagawa Kyouko's did. Every part of him is ready to flee.

Sighing, Kyouya opens his mouth

and is shoved aside by the boy with fluff for hair sprinting out of the bathroom with a sound like a whine trailing behind him.

That's _twice_ now. Kyouya will really have to discipline him for interruption. There's probably something in the rulebook about interrupting Committee members who are doing their duty and biting them to death.

Who is he kidding, Kyouya knows the code by heart. There's definitely something in there about interruptions and nibbling. Next time. Small animals are susceptible to sudden death from rapid escalation of heart movement. Especially when caged.

_May have fangs._

Kyouya looks at the sprinkling of pills again and decides to pick them up and put them in the toilet before the janitor finds them and starts asking questions.

_Should be harmless._

* * *

His earliest memory is of trying to separate the younger children in the sandbox from the older ones. More specifically, separating the mean ones from the nice ones, because his _kaa-san_ had let him loose and said _play nice_ , and that meant, clearly, that _everyone_ had to play nice.

Kyouya is small. He doesn't know what else to say except _play nice_ over and over, pushing the older boys over the imaginary line he had drawn on the ground in his mind. The younger ones crowd behind him, trembling. But this isn't about the strong protecting the weak.

It's about making sure they do what his _kaa-san_ said.

(He will never consider the idea that Shiratori Ise only meant for _him_ to play nice with others, that she never considered the other children who are, in retrospect, not her responsibility.)

He is small and they are bigger. _Kaa-san_ picks him up with small bruises on his small arms and friction burns on his wrist. Sand in his shoes.

 _Kaa-san_ asks what happened and Kyouya lets the other children explain it for him while he keeps watch until _kaa-san_ tugs him away.

The older ones are long since gone.

* * *

Kyouya learns, from watching others, the concept of _emotions_. It seems easy enough.

When the mouth curves up, it is ‘happiness'. This is good. When it is flat, it is ‘normal'. This is acceptable. When it curves down, it is ‘unhappiness'. This is bad.

Honestly, Kyouya thinks all of them are varying levels of bad.

He watches children and adults alike flock towards those who are ‘happy'. They are, he observes, pleasant to be around. Supposedly.

Those who are ‘unhappy' get a little less attention. Mostly questions of ‘are you okay?' and ‘what's upsetting you?' or ‘do you want to play with me?' because apparently there are children who are unhappy because no one will play with them.

Even those who are ‘normal' will eventually catch the interest of some curious children looking for someone who isn't already surrounded.

Kyouya quickly learns that ‘no, I don't need your company' doesn't mean much to 2 year olds. Day care is boring. He adjusts the white cap on his head.

He also quickly learns that a slight downturn of his lips, a furrowing of his brows ( _angry_?), and actively removing himself from the presence of any child who approaches him is an easy way to get them to leave him alone. Some of them come back, but most just.. wander off.

Good. Kyouya has no interest in them if they're behaving. He just wants to sort his blocks and stack them and quietly figure out how children and adults should be sorted and stacked. Height? Clothing?

Behavior?

He's still thinking about it when _kaa-san_ picks him up.

* * *

There is a documentary on the television. Kyouya isn't allowed to watch for too long. It's a pretty normal documentary, all things considered, about wildlife in Japan. He doesn't really know half of the words being said.

But he watches. He observes. Behavior of prey, often times herbivores. Behavior of predator, carnivores. Hunters. Hunted. Singling out weak ones for an easy kill, so easily abandoned by their own in order to escape.

He thinks of the young, weak ones cowering behind him in the sandbox.

..Small animals.

* * *

"Herbivores." Kyouya says it loud and clear, standing in that same sandbox, facing down those same boys. And a girl, too. "You are crowding."

"Crowding?" The middle one huffs petulantly. "What's that even mean? Crowding isn't a real word, and I'm not an herbivore."

"You are. Crowding. Stop crowding." He doesn't understand why the concept is so hard to grasp. _Crowding_. It's _obvious_.

"We're not _crowding_ , dummy, whatever that is. We just wanna use the bucket and shovel."

The girl tries to shove her way past him. He pushes her back.

"You used them yesterday."

"We wanna use them _today_ , too! So give it! Or I'll tell on you!"

It's Kyouya's first foray into this life-long predicament to be later known as _establishing dominance_.

"Shinobu-san said to _share_."

"Yeah," says the smaller boy on the left. He makes a face like he's better than Kyouya. "So _share_ and we won't tell on you."

They're crowding. The small animals behind him are whimpering. Kyouya doesn't know how to fight yet, but adults keep children apart with their arms. They have long arms, big hands. Kyouya's are small.

He shoves them back. _Hard_.

"Stop _crowding_!"

* * *

He is in a room. It looks a little like day care, and _kaa-san_ didn't seem worried.

"Play in here for a bit, okay? Your dad and I have some things to talk about with Dr. Akio. Don't make too much of a fuss, we'll be back soon."

"Promise?"

Her smile falters. That's not good.

"I promise, Kyou-kun."

She leaves him there. The woman in the white coat closes the door.

Kyouya goes over to the bins are and opens the lids to look inside. Stuffed animals, blocks, balls, little wooden pieces.

He dumps them out. He dumps all of them out, spreads them out on the floor, scratches over the light bruises on his arm, and stares at them.

He waits for a few seconds. No one stops him. There are no rules. No _share_ or _play nice_ or _have fun_. Just _stay here_.

Kyouya starts sorting them by color.

Then shape.

Then size.

Then by classification of which one would be predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore. The rubber duck is a prey. Stuffed lion, carnivore. Predator. The blocks and shapes are food for the herbivores.

Once his pseudo food chain is completed, Kyouya takes the giant stuffed owl in his arms, stands back, and looks down upon his domain.

(He supposes this is called a ‘smile'.)

* * *

A lot of doctors come by after that. Or maybe it's just one doctor. Dr. Akio? She visits often. There's another doctor this time, Ueda.. Koji. He's from out of town, but he's a... specialist?

In children. A therapist.

Kyouya is 4 now and he's tired of these visits. Tired of the looks his parents give him, every time they find him with new bandages and plasters on his skin, dried blood on his shirt. Tired of the way they tiptoe around him, talking to him the way one would talk to a frightened animal. He's not.

He's just tired of adults coming in and trying get him to talk, to ask him how he's getting along in day care. If he's made any new friends.

He talks just fine. He just doesn't want to talk to _them_.

Because he's 4 and he knows what a doctor is. They fix people. They make people better. Sure, Kyouya gets scrapes and things from trying to stop the baby herbivores from _crowding_ but _kaa-san_ keeps a lot of plasters around. He's fine. He's _fine_.

Crowding. _Crowding_. They are adults and they're crowding, but he is 4 and he can't shove an adult. He tries, but it doesn't do him much good.

"Why do you fight with the other children so much, Kyouya-kun?"

"They're _crowding_ ," Kyouya hisses, staunchly looking anywhere but at the two doctors. _Kaa-san_ and _tou-san_ are talking softly in the kitchen. The cut on his cheek itches under the plaster.

"Can you explain?"

Kyouya narrows his eyes. Recalls late night documentaries.

"Crowding. Population out of control." He pauses. "Pushing out native species."

Dr. Ueda regards him carefully. Intensely.

"... _Nanami Shouyo's Introduction to Invasive Species, Part 1_ ," Kyouya mutters. "I need to stop them. They're crowding. They're _crowding_."

He won't curl up this time. Won't stare at a wall and rock himself back and forth like he used to when he could finally sit up by himself. He sorts his toys instead. Rearranges kitchen furniture, lines the chairs up nice and neat. Tears grass out from the lawn and puts them in piles.

He hears Dr. Ueda excuse himself and leave the room. Dr. Akio is writing something on her clipboard.

Dr. Ueda returns.

"Akio-san, could I have a moment alone with Kyouya-kun?"

"Is it regarding.. that?"

"I'm just curious. We have to cover all our bases."

"And one day you'll actually tell me what it's all about?"

Dr. Akio sounds humored, like _kaa-san_ does when _tou-san_ hides a secret from her. She finishes scratching on paper and stands up, closing the door behind her as she goes.

Dr. Ueda holds out a glass container with metal on the bottom and top. It's empty. He puts it in Kyouya's hands.

"Now, I'm going to ask you again, and I want to you answer me as honestly as you can, okay, Kyouya-kun? It's okay if you can't say it, just think about your answer."

Kyouya nods.

"Why do you fight?"

Honest. Honesty. Kyouya thinks hard about how he will answer this, about little animals being pushed around, about herbivores crowding and taking everything for themselves and leaving nothing for others. About children not following rules and adults not watching them closely.

Kyouya stares in wonder at the brilliant purple fire that dances between his hands, suspended within the container.

" _Nuvola_ ," Dr. Ueda says. That's not.. Japanese. " _Kumo_."

"Cloud," Kyouya repeats, still staring in awe. "..Cloud."

"I'm going to talk to your parents about something, alright, Kyouya-kun? There's a place I think you'll like. You can learn all about this-" a gesture towards the shining light, "and there's lots of people to fight there."

Kyouya doesn't _like fighting_ \- well. Okay. Maybe he does like it. He's okay with fighting. It's necessary sometimes and he has nothing _against_ it.

"..Are they crowding?"

"There are children."

Kyouya.... squints.

And nods.

* * *

Tetsuya makes a schedule of upcoming animal documentary timeslots every two weeks and leaves it in an envelope at the foot of the door to Kyouya's room.

Kyouya finishes his homework and puts his things away, consults the schedule, and turns on the television. He grabs the giant stuffed owl from where it's lined up with the rest of his animal kingdom and settles in. It's the usual drivel, but it's interesting drivel. It helps improve his grammar and vocabulary.

(Though Tetsuya will sometimes mutter under his breath about how _herbivores_ and _carnivores_ and _animal kingdom hierarchy_ aren't really words that should be used in school on a regular basis. Whatever. Kyouya thinks it's appropriate.)

(He also wants a canary.)

(And Tetsuya's hand.)

There are squirrels this time. Japan's red squirrels, with fluffy ears and a fluffy tail. It's autumn. Caching time.

Kyouya thinks of exaggerated fluff that makes small animals seem bigger than they are. He thinks of Sawada Tsunayoshi, who had been in Dr. Ueda's waiting room when Kyouya left after his annual _fiamma_ testing appointment.

Sawada Tsunayoshi who had become the center of attention for a good two weeks after. Sawada Tsunayoshi whose performance had improved, whose grades had gone up, if only slightly. Sawada Tsunayoshi who was able to hold a conversation with his peers now whenever Kyouya managed to catch a glimpse of him in his classroom during patrols. In particular, one Sasagawa Kyouko, who isn't even in the same grade as Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, miserable this past week, trying to pour his prescription medication into the toilet.

_Little animal._

Kyouya narrows his eyes at the screen, wondering at his own train of thought.

 _Caching behavior?_ No. It's not being stored. It's being discarded. _Cached food may become overripe if left too long._

Three weeks. Not old. Not too long. So, why? Why caching?

Hiding, then.

The medication is, was, likely responsible for Tsunayoshi's remarked improvement in performance and behavior. Why then was he hiding them? Disposing of them?

Kyouya is missing something. No, he's not missing it, but he can't quite put his _thumb_ on it. He spends a few minutes more thinking before he decides. He needs Tetsuya.

The clock reads a little after 9:30pm.

Good. Tetsuya will still be awake, then.

* * *

* * *

Kyouya is home and seems to be irate about something, after finishing his patrol at school. There is the slightest of stains on his tonfa as they're tucked away, and Tetsuya guesses there would be one on his pant leg as well.

"Kyouya-san," he calls through the door leading to the wash room, "don't forget to wash the blood out with cold water."

"..How did you even _know_."

"Should I wash them for you?"

Hidden amongst the spray of water is a grunt. Tetsuya takes a moment to decipher it, and decides that it means ‘okay, go ahead', because the door cracks open a little and a wet hand is handing him the black slacks. Tetsuya takes them without missing a beat.

This was never in the job description when his adopted parents and the Hibaris told him he'd be living with Kyouya. He never even questioned it, really. It's better than living in the children's communal housing, and they're both adopted, so they have a little bit in common to.. smooth out any rough patches.

It's not been all that difficult.

Kyouya will be in there a while. Something about a watering hole, and he usually takes a long bath when it's been a trying day. As long as he isn't in there long enough to turn into a prune, Tetsuya leaves him to it.

It's actually Kyouya's turn for laundry this week, but blood needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. It smells when left on too long. Tetsuya scrubs it in the washbasin until the water runs clear instead of pink, then hangs it up to dry in the back yard.

Once Kyouya is out, dinner is a simple affair. The usual hamburger steak with a side of vegetables. Tetsuya makes somen noodles for himself, after almost ten minutes of debating whether to have them cold or hot.

The wind howls outside and he decides, hot. With ginger. Tetsuya loves ginger.

Kyouya, however, does not much like vegetables. He says it's because he's a carnivore. Tetsuya has known Kyouya for a while though, and hasn't seen his boss show a lick of fantastical imagination in the past 6 years. So he just reminds Kyouya occasionally that even carnivores will eat grass to aid digestion.

It is an acceptable reasoning. Kyouya makes lip-curling faces at them, but crunches his carrots and peas, staring intently at the miniature replica of Namimori's precinct flag sticking out of the steak.

 _One day I will conquer that flag,_ Kyouya will say sometimes while they eat. It's especially ominous when sauce drips from the corner of his mouth. _One day I will hold it in my hands._

Tetsuya translates this as, one day Hibari Kyouya will finally join the Senior Division of Disciplinary Committee's Namimori Precinct, hold that flag aloft, and bring war on their enemies. It's probably not that far off. He doesn't question what kind of enemies they could have here on the island.

Kyouya doesn't say it today.

It's absurd how just hearing the droning of the television in the other room is enough to loosen the tension in Tetsuya's shoulders. The meal had been quiet. Kyouya has always been quiet, though; no unnecessary talking, no chitter, no chatter. And seeing Kyouya retreat easily to his room is.. _good_.

Sort of. Not really.

Because it means something is bothering Kyouya, but not enough affect him physically. There are days when Tetsuya returns home to find all the furniture reorganized, or in the process of being reorganized, because Kyouya was only 8 and could not drag the couch around by himself.

Tetsuya finds himself nervously checking the alarm clock on his desk constantly, counting the minutes to when the squirrel documentary programme will end. He is halfway through his maths workbook when the door to his room slams open and dear _God_ had he really forgotten to lock it? Locked doors are a necessity when sharing a roof with Kyouya.

And, ah, there he is now. Standing in Tetsuya's doorway. In all his deflated post-shower head of hair. With a stuffed owl.

"..Kyouya-san." Tetsuya checks the clock again. 9:38pm. The documentary shouldn't be over yet. "There's still 22 minutes left."

"Something is bothering me."

Oh, good, Kyouya figured it out himself-

"I'm not sure what."

- _Ah_ , damn.

Tetsuya silently gestures to his bed. It's a testament to Kyouya's distraction that he doesn't say anything about the rumpled state of it and simply perches on the edge like a falcon. Or an owl.

"Caching behavior."

"Uhm." Tetsuya clears his throat and wracks his brain, knowing how this goes. For someone who isn't good with the abstract, Kyouya really likes to use metaphors, and who but Tetsuya has to connect the dots? Oh, right. Tetsuya does. It's fun. "..Hoarding behavior found amongst animals. Storing food in preparation for winter, or to.. keep it in a safe place to consume later?"

He has _got_ to keep up with these nature documentaries if he's going to hold a conversation with Kyouya in the future.

"..Is this about the squirrels you were watching a minute ago?"

Kyouya doesn't answer that, but he curls his bare toes. Like talons. Squirrels it is, then.

"Caching behavior of.. small animals."

Tetsuya.. is lost. His knowledge of the animal kind of is bare bones at most. He knows herbivore, carnivore, grouping, herding, _crowding_. Why caching?

"Scatter hoarding," Kyouya says, then, a tidbit no doubt dug up from the unfathomable depths of his knowledge. Is this related to small animals? Yes? No? "Caching in multiple locations to ensure protection from.. pilfering."

"..What's-"

"Stealing."

"Oh, thanks. Please, continue."

"..Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Sawa- what?" How did they get from small animal caching to Sawada- okay. _Small animals_. Tetsuya can probably understand that. "..Second grade, class 2-B... Unremarkable. His father is the one who-"

"Yes. Unremarkable." Kyouya's eyes narrow and he sets his chin over the owl's head. Tetsuya wisely does not continue what he was saying before. The Committee must be unbiased.

"...Kyouya-san?" He chances to say, after a minute of silence. "Did something happen today?"

"I patrolled." Oh, Kyouya feels like talking about it. This is progress. "Iwahara Daiki and two others were found crowding another student. One was from the junior high school. They were bitten to death."

Junior high student on primary school grounds. That's troubling. Tetsuya makes a note to-

"I reported the incident to the Junior Division." Never mind. "The recipient of their crowding was Sawada Tsunayoshi. He... fled before I could deliver the code."

"Didn't he interrupt you once, too..?"

"He did." But Kyouya isn't scowling, so Tetsuya supposes it wasn't as much of an irritation as it could be. It's hard to tell with Kyouya, sometimes. "I looked for him, found him, and he fled again."

There's something missing in between there. Kyouya's fingers are twitching.

"I compared him to a tufted deer." Before Tetsuya can even ask what a tufted deer _is_ \- "Then the programme I was watching spoke of caching behaviors and Sawada Tsunayoshi's behavior came to my mind. I do not know why."

Another narrowing of eyes, and a twitch of his brow.

"It bothers me."

"..You're bothered by not knowing why caching makes you think of Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Yes. No. Sawada Tsunayoshi bothers me."

Something about Sawada then.

"You said.. the mention of caching made you think of Sawada. Was he.. hiding something? Trying to hide an object? Did he take something of Iwahara's, or.. did Iwahara take something of Sawada's?"

" _Caching_ ," Kyouya mutters into the head of the owl. The finger twitching increases.

"Okay, okay- caching. Food related. Food stored to prepare for.. a change in weather. Food stored to survive off of. He's storing something away, he's- Kyouya?"

"Food." Like a mantra, Kyouya repeats the word under his breath, his eyes focused on a spot just below the calendar hanging on the wall across from him. "...Food."

Tetsuya's mind goes a mile a minute. Food, Sawada Tsunayoshi, and small animals. Somehow, all of those have one thing in common, and he's not really sure what. Sawada looks like a small animal. Kyouya is a.. carnivore. So, small animals should be food-- but Kyouya _likes_ small animals, so that means.. Kyouya is exhibiting some kind of fondness, or. Or protective instinct? Over Sawada? About. Food?

Oh.

"Oh," he says, and does not even flinch anymore when Kyouya's attention snaps to him like a puppet head. "I heard some of the 2nd years talking about it in the office yesterday. Apparently Sawada's not been eating lunch these past few weeks?"

Something seems to click in Kyouya's mind. The tension droops and his brow smooths itself out again.

"..That is an infraction of Namimori School District's health code." Of course it is. Of course. Kyouya unfolds himself and sort of hops to his feet, still clutching the stuffed owl to his chest. "I will speak with him tomorrow."

"We've been trying to do that, but... well. Good luck, Kyouya-san."

"Mm."

The door closes silently. Tetsuya turns to the clock again. It's been... 20 minutes. That's probably the most Tetsuya has ever heard Kyouya say in so short a time, aside from reciting lines of code from the rulebook.

He's still a little stunned by that revelation when the door opens again and Kyouya's still deflated post-shower head of hair peeks in. The steel-gray slant of his eyes is..

"...Do you need help with your workbooks, Tetsuya-san?"

Tetsuya's jaw works silently for a few seconds. He doesn't know what to do about this, _this has never happened before_. He needs to talk to Dr. Ueda. Like. Now.

"..I am having some trouble with math, yes."

Okay, maybe tomorrow. Later this week. His annual _fiamma_ testing is coming up soon.

Kyouya rolls in a cushioned stool and takes up his position as a quasi-sentinel on Tetsuya's left. He sits his chin atop the stuffed owl again and, after a brief glance at Tetsuya's worksheet, points out the first mistake.

* * *

It's a few years before they consider the idea that Kyouya's metaphorical mindset could be used in conjunction with animal therapy.

Kyouya fixes that himself.

  
[1] gakuran: japanese school uniform  
[2] calpis: also known as calpico in some parts of the world where calpis otherwise sounds like 'cow piss'. a non-carbonated soft drink made with dry milk that apparently tastes a bit like yakult / very thin yogurt.  
[3] ramune: carbonated soft-drink in japan. known for its unique bottle shape and being sealed with a marble. instead of a regular bottlecap.  
[4] so kyouya is technically in the process of being adopted into the hibari main family and uses their credit card for living expenses. he got used to it pretty quickly. with good reason, as we'll see... later...  
[5] Gendo-cho: lit. Gendo = Border, -cho is a suffix for 'town'. not A border town, but THE Border Town. the town named border. headed by the the miura household. it occupies a strip of land between the east and west side of the island. basically neutral territory. the main manor is near the island's only private airport / glorified landing strip, and the branch manor is next to the island's only commercial harbor port. why? they greet visitors. arrivals. all the arrivals.  
[6] there are several terms for parents in japanese; these being **haha** or **kaa- / okaa-** for mother, and **chichi** or **tou- / otou-** for father. in short, **haha / chichi** is considered informal or humble, used to refer to ones own parents when talking about them to others outside the family / group. -ue may be appended the way -san is. **kaa- / okaa- / tou- / otou-** is formal and respectful to be used when addressing your own parents directly (since in japanese culture, your parents are higher up on the family hierarchy and the way you address them should reflect this), or addressing other people’s parents. -san or -sama can be appended to these. here we have kyouya changing the way he addresses his birth parents directly.

okay so kyouya likes to hold tetsuya's hand (or wants to hold tetsuya's hand. have they held hands yet? who knows? no one knows) when he's particularly stressed and there's probably a reason for this. other than my desire to have / see kyouya and tetsuya being chummy and professional.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i lied about them holding hands hahahaha.


	3. NAGI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: indirect depiction of estraneo and related things. off-hand description of what happens when a car accident involves pedestrians. morbidity. implied neglectful parenting.

* * *

**HOKUTO NAGI;** or What It Means To Be An Outsider

* * *

She learns very early on that she does not like to be alone with other people.

It likely hadn't been problem when she was still an infant, still being nurtured and natured. It hadn't been a problem when she was learning to walk, or talk, or how to hold on tight to mother's hand while crossing the street.

It was the way they looked at her.

She was, in a sense, a ‘perfect Japanese woman', even when she was a girl. It takes a bit of growing up before she finally understands what they mean.

She is small. Dainty. Quiet. Adverse to conversation and not one for prolonged socialization. Prefers her books as a child and prefers her pens and papers in primary. She defers to others when appropriate.

She finds that heat comes to her cheeks easily.

She doesn't like it.

* * *

Nagi enters the contest on a whim. Her parents are indulgent- or rather they are somewhat indifferent, having plenty of funds and time and influence. No lack of standing.

All they insist is that she not do anything to give them a bad name. Second place isn't too bad.

Their neighbor says she looks sweet and lovely when she draws, so father buys sketchbooks and the case of colored pencils that Nagi points out.

She wins first place in the next contest. But first place out of a group of 4 year olds is still only first place out of a group of 4 year olds.

* * *

"Nagi-chan? Are you finished with your workbooks yet?"

She nods. Her maths workbook is closed and sitting in the upper left corner of her desk. She's coloring in the sparrow that likes to sit on the windowsill sometimes. A rather good drawing. For a 5 year old.

"That's lovely, Nagi." She looks up. Her teacher smiles at her, encouraging. "Do you like drawing?"

Nagi nods again. Pink crawls onto her cheeks under the scrutiny of her teacher and classmates.

The teacher moves on. Nagi adds some pink to the sparrow's cheek.

* * *

Father leaves. Passes away.

Mother remarries.

Her last name changes.

* * *

She almost 8 when she starts dreaming of the dark. Of the white walls and red stains. She dreams of brothers and sisters not related by blood but by _bonds_ , by ties, by the meaning of ‘family'.

Nagi looks at her parents before she leaves for school in the morning and wants to ask them _what does family mean?_ Does it mean those who share blood? Does it mean those who live together, eat together, _bleed_ together?

In her dreams they cry, they hold hands, they comfort. They tell each other it'll be okay. The pain goes away. That it stops eventually.

She dreams that her breath stops, over and over again. She dreams of cursing the world, cursing her life. Cursing those who call themselves her parents.

Nagi dreams of a boy with his serial number seared onto his cheek because he can't remember his own name. Dreams of a boy with beasts in his blood, mighty and powerful and whimpering in his cage.

She dreams of death. Dreams of bright lights flashing in her eyes. Dreams of fire.

Dreams of misty mornings and foggy days.

* * *

"Nagi-chan."

She doesn't look up anymore.

"Nagi-chan, have you finished your workbooks?"

Shakes her head. She'll do it later. She doesn't say it.

"You have to finish your work before you can play around, Nagi-chan."

The ruler raps down on the edge of her desk when she doesn't answer again. She pays it no heed. With a mutter, the teacher walks away noisily, leaving Nagi with more than a little bit of a blush knowing that her classmates are staring at her again.

Some of them are even making snide remarks.

No body wants to look at her sketchbook anymore. Nagi fills it with drawings of green sparrows and teal finches. Her cats are golden, _golden_ , and the dogs she draws are red like foxes.

The foxes are a nice combination of violet and blue. With pink tails.

* * *

In her dreams they scream. Not the animals- the children. They scream and they beg and they plead, muffled and loud. In her dreams she cries for them and she curses them.

She dreams of strange faces, and stranger voices. She dreams that she knows what they're saying but doesn't _know_ what they're saying, because they say strange things.

They speak of cold hope and distant longing. They speak of _one day_ and _restoring the family_. They say that she is the key. She'll revolutionize the world.

She is 8 years old and she dreams of murder.

* * *

"Nagi-chan! What on _earth_ —?!"

She looks up this time, this one time. Her cheeks are pink again and her eyes are wide. The workbook is finished this time and sits closed in the upper left corner of her desk.

"..I finished my workbook," she says softly. This time.

"That- that's not the problem, Nagi-chan. What are you... _why_ would you draw something like _that_?!"

Nagi looks down at her sketchbook again and doesn't see the problem. She's only drawing what she sees in her dreams. There aren't even any people. Or animals.

Maybe some animals.

Crows pecking at disembodied stitches. A mouse crawling out of a festering wound. The swell of a blackened eye. It would look worse if she used more accurate colors- which is why the blood is green and the skin is red. The crow is orange. The mouse is a light blue.

She needs to ask mother for more color pencils.

* * *

"Nagi, the teacher called again." Mother sounds so tired. Of course. Mother has to work long hours and only comes home a few days a week. Nagi is used to this by now. "Why are you doing this? Is something wrong, Nagi? Is someone hurting you?"

Nagi doesn't say anything. She looks at the blank page of her sketchbook and thinks of blood on the walls.

"The doctor said you're fine, physically. Say something, Nagi."

She doesn't have anything to say. What _could_ she say? That she dreams of holding a knife in her hand and running it through someone? Through the woman called mother and the man called father? That she dreams of tubes filled with blood, ice picks in her forehead, clamps holding her eyes open?

Nagi dreams of the sight of a beating heart still in its chest. She only draws the heart.

"Why don't you draw what you used to anymore, Nagi? You could enter some more contests if you'd like. I know you're talented, Nagi... but stuff like this- it's not healthy."

Healthy. Healthy is a balanced diet. Healthy is vegetables and fruits (but not pineapples, she's sick of seeing pineapples in the mirror), a modest portion of meats and generous serving of grains. Don't snack too much, her doctor says.

Nagi nibbles on a chocolate bar and knows the taste of bile, though she's never thrown up before.

"..I'm okay, mama," is all she says. Because she is.

Mother doesn't bother her anymore beyond that.

She draws the barcode and the serial number in vivid colors and makes flowers sprout off the top of the bars. She draws caricatures of beasts. Hippos. Rhinos. Wolves.

A yo-yo. The kanji for ‘3'.

She smiles to herself. "I'm okay."

* * *

On her 9th birthday she draws a big, large ‘4'.

* * *

The dreams don't stop.

* * *

"Mama.. what's _estraneo_?"

"Hmm?" Mother looks over her newspaper on one of the rare days that she's home long enough to read it in the morning. "That sounds like something you should ask your father."

" _Gifu_ [1], what's _estraneo_?" she asks her step-father on the other side of the table. He sips on his coffee.

"It's Italian," he says. Nagi has to go to school soon so she eats faster.

"But what does it mean?"

The man who married her mother strokes his chin, eyes closed in thought behind his spectacles. He'll be gone in a week. Back to work.

"It means.. stranger. Something foreign, something strange. An outsider." He peers at her over his cup. "Why do you ask?"

Nagi shrugs and gets up to put her bowl away.

"Have a good day at school, Nagi," he says. Like a stranger.

* * *

" _Gifu_."

The man is at his desk, working from home. Finance reports, he calls it, as he always does. He's always working on finance reports.

Mother's been more quiet since he started working on finance reports. But she looks.. happier. Nagi doesn't know what to think about it, the idea that mother might love this man more than her father. Or at least, that she's happier with him.

"What is it, Nagi?"

" _Gifu_.. what's a family?" She sees from the look on his face that she's phrasing her question wrong. "I mean..."

"Is this to do with that _estraneo_ thing?" She nods. "Then I guess you mean.. _famiglia_."

She nods again, quickly.

He takes off his glasses and puts them aside on the table and turns his chair around, beckons with his hand. Nagi hesitates but accepts the invitation to come closer.

"Nagi.. where are you learning these words?"

She considers lying. They're not teaching foreign languages in school and her teachers still call home about her weird drawings and refusal to pay attention in class even though she does her workbooks properly and passes all her tests.

"..In my dreams," she says instead, quietly. Avoids her step-father's eyes. He says he is an assistant manager, an accountant, but his gaze is always so sharp.

"What do you dream about?"

The doctors keep saying there's nothing wrong and that she's just having nightmares. Even though she isn't afraid of them, and they don't leave her feeling terrified when she wakes. They're just dreams, after all. They're not real.

They're not real.

" _Estraneo_." That's all she understands to be true. _Estraneo_ is real. A stranger. Something strange. Something... outside. Something that doesn't belong. Like her.

"People?" Her step-father asks. "Rooms?"

She scurries off to dig out some of her old sketchbooks from the past 3 years.

"White. White rooms, white lights," Nagi says when she comes back, flipping through the pages. The ‘4' bleeds purple like asphyxiated blood and her father's breath hitches when she goes past it.

She comes to a page with a simple pencil sketch of a doctor's chair and a splash of scarlet on the backdrop of an otherwise stark white sheet of paper.

"..Can I see the rest of them, Nagi?"

She nods. Mother always seems so disturbed by them. Disgusted. _Gifu_ doesn't sound interested, but.. he doesn't seem to dislike them.

"Would you mind if I made copies of some of these, Nagi?"

"Why?"

He lingers on the page with the barcode and the serial and the flowers. Black.

"..For work."

Nagi finds herself blushing involuntarily, at the idea of strangers looking at her drawings. She's not sure she wants them to see.

"..Okay."

He takes a business card out of his wallet and tells her to hold onto it. Someone who works for him will probably come by and show her this same card, this exact same card. Trust them. Listen to them.

The logo is a violently colorful ‘VM' in the middle of a clamshell.

She nods and says she will.

* * *

She dreams of 5s. Numbers flashing and etching themselves into her mind, in colors of puce and mahogany and royal violet. She draws them. Her coloring pencils have gone from 5 to 10 to 50.

She has every color she can think of. She has always had every color she could think of.

When she colors in her skies they're always sunsets. Eternally orange. Her tornadoes are red and her clouds are purple. Lightning is lime-green, and the fog that rolls in is always indigo.

* * *

A few months before she turns 11, Nagi receives a visitor. Mother is not home and neither is father. It's just her and the housekeeper on a Saturday evening, but the housekeeper is away, too.

At the door is a man who looks like a doctor, and a woman in uniform. Her hair is in wavy, uneven spirals, like it's used to be confined. A pall of violets droop in the air around her.

"My name is Doctor Ueda Koji. This is Jeong-Seo Kaede. May we speak with Hokuto Nagi-kun?"

"Yes," she says, and opens the door wider to let them in. Then pauses for a moment. "Do you have a business card?"

They do. The woman shows her a card. The logo is a multicolored ‘KOKUYO RKD' emblazoned across a shell. An.. oyster.

An oyster.

Close enough.

Nagi nods and leads them to the living room and brings them a glass of water each, and sits down across from them.

"I am.. Hokuto Nagi." She gives a short, brief bow, hands folded over her lap. A proper Japanese lady, demure and quiet. "..Is this about my father? The.. _estraneo_?"

"No," says the woman, who shows a small bit of surprise. Jeong-Seo. That's Korean. Kaede is... "But on behalf of those involved, I thank you for your cooperation. You might have saved many lives, Nagi-kun."

"How? What did I do?"

"That, I cannot tell you. Unless you agree to our proposition-"

"Yes," Nagi says too quickly. Because it's real. It's real, they're real, those cries and screams and pleas for help were real.

She never woke up in terror but she feels that terror now. _It was real_.

_Those deaths were real_.

"..Let's start from the beginning, Nagi-kun." The doctor smiles and takes a sheet of paper out of a manila envelope. It's- "We saw your entry for a contest recently and it sparked our interest. We've been trying to reach your parents, but.."

"They're not home very often." She nods in understanding. Her heartbeat slows down a little bit. "..What did you want to, um. Ask about?"

"Your.. choice of color in this piece was very unique, Nagi-kun."

She nods.

"You named it _Disastro Naturale_."

"Yes.. It only made 7th place."

"The clouds are purple?"

She tugs at her own hair, black and frizzy. "They are when the sun sets."

Jeong-Seo has been talking so far, after the doctor brought out the picture. The doctor has been writing something on his clipboard.

"..Can you tell us why you drew this picture the way you did, Nagi-kun?"

She flushes. It's okay. She's at home, she's safe. No one else is looking or laughing. "U-um.. because I.. wanted to."

"But can you tell us _why_?"

Nagi fidgets with the lock of her hair as she looks up at them. _Why do you want to know_ , she doesn't ask. She can't get past the first word.

"Nagi-kun," Jeong-Seo starts again, a little more softly this time. "We're just a little curious.. the colors you chose are familiar to us, that's all. So.. could you tell us why you chose the colors that you did?"

Her eyes drift over the orange sky and the setting sun, violent violet clouds and white-green lightning. A red tornado whirling under deep blue rain. A layer of fog creeps inward.

A natural disaster. She almost wanted to name it ‘ _catastrofe_ '.

"..Synesthesia?"

The doctor glances up briefly. "Your medical records say you don't show any sign of it."

_Those are private_. She thinks it but says nothing. She's not even sure she can be upset about something like that, as young as she is.

"Not.. mine."

"Do you know someone who relates these phenomenons with these colors, then?"

Nagi... shakes her head. "I don't know him."

"I see." Jeong-Seo nods discreetly to the side. The doctor stands up and excuses himself. "Nagi-kun, would you be willing to help us with a little test?"

"Is it part of your proposal?"

"Yes. If you accept, and if you pass, we can tell you about this _estraneo_ of yours."

"You can tell me about the boy who dies?"

Jeong-Seo smiles, and something flickers across one of her eyes.

"Why, yes. I can."

* * *

Dr. Ueda returns with a small glass container, capped with metal on both ends. It fits snugly between her hands. She looks at it blankly.

"'I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to answer them as honestly as possible, okay, Nagi-kun?" The doctor says quietly, leaning on his elbows on his seat across from her. "If you don't feel comfortable saying it out loud, that's okay, but the results are much more visible if you do."

"Visible..?"

"You'll see." His smile is a little mischievous, for an old man. An older man. "Now, Nagi-kun.. state your resolve."

"..U-um-"

"Why did you draw that particular piece for the contest?"

"..It was raining that day. Um.. everyone else was drawing really.. happy things."

"Is there a reason why you didn't do the same?"

"I didn't want to." She doesn't see why she _has_ to. Other than the fact that everyone else does it. The whole country does it.

"Why not?"

"B-because... I'm.. me. A-and I.. I want people to see that."

"Even though what you drew was based on something someone else saw?"

Nagi clutches the glass close to her chest, trembling. "I want them to see him through me. I want.. them to see _me_. To see what others can't see. What they w- _won't_ see."

"You don't want them to hide."

"The- they shouldn't _be hidden_."

She feels a burst of heat within her- no, outside. In her arms. In the glass, under her fingers, a flickering wisp of indigo whispers to her.

Nagi looks up, wide-eyed. Jeong-Seo pulls out a small pendant also glimmering with indigo from around her neck. Dr. Ueda has one that glitters blue.

They're the same colors that she uses for the fog and the rain in her drawing. The same kind that lingers in her mind when she dreams. The things that aren't real.

_But they are real. They're real, they're real they're real they'reREAL_

She doesn't even know she's crying until the woman's hands are prying the elongated jar from her hands, wiping her tears away. All the fear and frustration and anger comes rushing out at once.

She sees a ‘6' behind her eyelids.

"It's okay, Nagi-kun. You're okay."

"B-but they're n-not. Th-they're not okay. They-"

"Yes they are, Nagi-kun. Your father told the right people about what you've been seeing in your dreams. They're all safe now."

"N-no! He- he's not! He's- _six_ , six, he just-"

"Six years old?"

"No, _no_ , no nonono _no_ he-" She hiccups. The sudden realization makes it hard to get words out, squeaky and froggy in her throat. She whimpers. "He- _died_ -"

"..The boy whose dreams you're seeing is dead?"

" _Yes. Again._ " Nagi's voice comes out in a whine. "He died again, he died _again_ , six, _six, six times_ \- oh _God_ it's real, it's- it's-!"

_It's real._

* * *

"..What are you doing with my daughter?"

Nagi jumps, clutching her tissue a little too tightly. It tears.

"Hokuto Yuu."

"That would be me." Her heart pounds. _My daughter_. He's never called her that before. "I'm going to ask again. _What are you doing with my daughter?_ "

With a soft sound, Nagi hops down from her seat and darts towards her- her step-father. Her father. Tugs on the elbow of his sleeve when she sees his hand shaking.

The man who married her mother drops down and brushes her hair from her face, wipes away the dried tear tracks from her ruddy cheeks.

"We've done nothing to harm her, Hokuto Yuu."

"The hell you haven't!" His anger is surprising. Not scary. She never cries, after all, and he never raises his voice. "Nagi- Nagi, are you okay? What did they do? Nagi-"

"I'm okay." She sniffles and rubs at her eyes, red-rimmed and tired. "I'm okay. They di-didn't do anything."

"You're _crying_ , Nagi."

"It's- it's just.. it's real, i-isn't it?" She whispers, asking a question she already knows the answers to. "The.. _Estraneo_. It's real. He's- he's real, the boy, the children, the blood—!"

She feels the arms around her tense and tighten and knows it's true.

"Shh, Nagi- Nagi, it's okay. It's okay. Calm down." It takes a few minutes of quite murmurs and hands stroking through her hair, a few minutes of sniffling and hiccuping anew, before she finally calms down again. Mother won't be home for a few days yet. It's just...

Just papa.

"I'm.. I'm okay. I'm okay, papa."

She's never called him _papa_ before. But then, she's never been this frightened before, either. Not even when the man who gave part of himself to make her died.

He wears an expression more concerned than she ever remembers seeing on him.

"..What did they tell you about the _Estraneo_?"

"N-nothing... much.. just that it's.. real. Everything that I dreamt ab-bout was. Was real."

"It was indeed real, Nagi-kun. But I think Hokuto-san already knew that." Jeong-Seo has come closer while she was busy wiping her face. "Didn't you, Hokuto-san? You are the assistant manager of _Vongola Moda_ 's main branch, aren't you?" [2]

"What of it? Actually, who are you and what are you doing in _our house_?"

"Have you forgotten who I am already, Hokuto-san? Tsk." Nagi hears the familiar sound of sliding paper. Father's hand rises and falls back down with a card between his fingers. He pales.

"..No."

"You know better than anyone that would be better for her to-"

" _No_!" With a squeak, Nagi is pulled forward against a suit-covered chest. "I will not have my wife _or daughter_ dragged into that life."

"We are not here to involve her in it, Hokuto-san. She is already involved. We are only here to offer protection."

Nagi cranes her neck around until father's tie digs into her cheek, and she sees how tall and proper Jeong-Seo holds herself. Not like a lady. Like the military marches on TV.

"The island is safe. You know that."

"Only because nothing goes in or out without your say-so!"

" _Hokuto-san_." The room temperature drops a few degrees, and not because the front door is still open. "Your daughter is exhibiting extreme symptoms of Mist-aligned resonance resulting in emotional detachment and suppression, and possible synesthesia that is synchronized with an individual halfway across the globe."

"That _Estraneo_ boy-"

"Is only the beginning. She's still young." Jeong-Seo's gaze sharpens. "It _will_ get worse."

Nagi thinks about her toxic colored sketches, her harmless candy pink daffodils, her skulls decorated with strange patterns in colors that clash horribly but feel _so right_.

Crows picking at stitches and hands strapped to the arm of a chair and needles in eyes.

She's so glad mother didn't question why she wanted plastic wrapping for her sketchbooks. They're useful whether it's the rainy season or not. There's always some body of water for things to be thrown in.

"Next time, it may not be a child that she resonates with."

"She's _10_."

"We have found younger resonators as well as older ones. What do you want to hear from us, Hokuto-san? That Nagi-kun will be fine, that this will all go away if we ignore it? Do you know what would happen if she were to fall into the wrong hands?"

_The Estraneo boy._

"..Can I still visit mama and papa?"

"No." The answer comes too quickly and sharply to stop Nagi from flinching. "..But they can come visit _you_ , Nagi-kun. If you want them to."

If she wants them to.

Father doesn't say anything. Nagi looks up and sees that he's still _concerned_. She doesn't know what to do with that, so she turns back to Jeong-Seo instead.

"Will the.. the boy look for me?"

"We don't know the extent of his awareness of your life, Nagi-kun. Whether those dreams went both ways or you were the only one affected. There is always the chance that he will try to seek you out regardless. As others might."

"It's not safe here. If he came here. So..." She fidgets and takes a step back, looking up at her father again. Her step-father. "..I think I- I think I'd. Like to go with them. Papa."

"Nagi.."

"I-it's not safe for me h-here, is it? B-because of my... my dreams. Is-" Swallowing is difficult. "Is.. is that why mama and papa don't come home?"

" _Nagi_ , honey, no," father says, and Nagi knows then that she doesn't really _know_ this man. She never tried to know him. "You _are_ safe here, you don't have to leave. No one is going to take you away."

"They will try." Father looks up and over Nagi's head, his face pinched. "She has stirred the interest of those within Vongola. By presenting the evidence of her resonance, Hokuto-san, she will certainly be on the Vongola's watchful radar now."

"Is.. is it that bad?"

"It is." Nagi looks between them, between Jeong-Seo's solemnity and her father's oncoming devastation. "She will need a teacher. Vongola will capitalize on that. And you are not important enough to them to demand that she remain uninvolved, Hokuto-san."

" _You_ are capitalizing on that!"

"We are not Vongola. They will not teach her properly, nor can they truly keep her safe. The island will protect her and hide her from prying eyes."

"My daughter shouldn't have to be _hidden_ in the first place!"

Heat and warmth blooms in her chest to hear those words. That's. That's all she's ever wanted to hear. All that she has ever wanted to know. It's enough.

Nagi pulls on his tie to get his attention and gives him a level look. And doesn't look away.

"..Perhaps we should give you some time to think it over. This is rather an abrupt proposal, after all. Thank you for your assistance, Dr. Ueda. You may return to the island."

The doctor leaves his card on the table before he leaves, for consultation purposes in the event that Nagi decides not go with them. The door shuts and she hears a car driving away not long after.

"I don't mean to force a premature decision, Hokuto-san, but the Vongola are already preparing to move. Dr. Ueda and I were only able to arrive ahead of them by being in the same country to begin with. I would give it 2 days at the most before they land.. And when they do, they _will_ be the ones forcing your hand."

Father's hand tightens on her shoulder.

"You know how to reach me, Hokuto-san."

And just like that, the heavy coldness in the air dissipates. Disappears. Nagi turns around and sees no one.

She hadn't even heard the door open or close.

* * *

In the 3 and a half years since mother married him, Nagi has never seen her _gifu_ insist that they spend time together as a family. He goes off on his own sometimes with mother, but Nagi is fine with that. She and her birth father had never done much either. She didn't expect things to change now that there is another man claiming guardianship over her.

They have breakfast together sometimes. Once every other week, at the kitchen table, before Nagi leaves for school. At any other time, if it isn't her and the housekeeper, it's usually just her and mother, or her and father, if mother can't make it home.

Nagi cherishes each of these days like gemstones.

Now there is one more.

It is Friday. A school day, but it is noon and father called in a family emergency and mother managed to make it home within the day.

"I'm sorry this couldn't wait until your work was done, Megumi. And.. Nagi.. I won't apologize for hiding this from you. I just, I wanted to keep you safe. It was better that you didn't know."

"It would've been better that _I_ didn't know," mother says in a huff.

"But you do know, and you still married me."

Nagi likes seeing her parents like this. Acting like parents. Like a married couple, and not... halfway across the world from each other.

(Likes them closer to her.)

"The truth is, Nagi.. the company I work for, _Vongola Moda_ , is- well. It's owned by the Vongola Famiglia. They're... probably the strongest mafia family in the world- or at least, in Italy. _I'm_ not in the mafia, and neither is my boss; we work solely for a very real, very legitimate clothing line generally caters to the Vongola themselves. Ah, that means most of the clothes we make are just for them, but we also export civilian versions. Does that make sense?"

"You're.. employed by the mafia?"

"Well, more or less. Yes. I work for the mafia. As the assistant manager of the company, I look over our finance reports to make sure the Italian police don't have a reason to arrest us."

" _Do_ they have a- a reason to?"

"No.. but when it comes to the mafia, they'll do whatever they can." Father's smile is thin and grim. Mother doesn't look surprised. "But the police aren't the problem right now. I'm not technically under their law of silence, and I didn't hear about this from the Vongola themselves, so I can say.. a little bit more about the situation than others can. Basically, Nagi, you are.. exhibiting signs of having a kind of _power_ that is usually only found in the mafia."

"The.. thing in the jar? The necklaces that Jeong-Seo-san and Dr. Ueda wore?"

"Yes. Most civilians don't develop that kind of ability, and it's dangerous if they're allowed to roam. Not just to others, but to themselves. The mafia looks for these kinds of people and recruits them as soldiers, weapons. The Vongola might try to say they want to protect you, but they're still mafia. That means that, if you were to stay here without learning how to use your abilities.. if they get stronger, the Vongola will be more insistent on taking you with them. And I... I don't have the power to stop them from doing that."

"So," mother says, after a moment of silence stretches between them, "that woman from the Island wants Nagi to go there? To hide away? Just like we've been trying to do these past 10 years?"

"Megumi, that's not what we've been doing-"

"It's what _I've_ been trying to do!"

Nagi doesn't even feel cold anymore. She might have felt it once when she was 3 and saw the way her mother looked at her, the way she'd only barely let their skin touch when they held hands to cross the street and let go immediately after. She might have felt it once whenever her mother came home to find her father ( _her birth father_ ) leaned over the coffee table, tearing his hair out in frustration over the papers strewn before him. She might have felt it once. Long ago.

It felt cold, then.

Now it's just a tickle. Now she knows something far colder.

" _Megumi_!"

"I've never hidden it from her, Yuu. She already knows."

Nagi knows. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.

"Megumi, we're not talking about this again."

"I didn't plan on it."

"Meg-"

"It's okay, papa. Mama." She wrings her hands together and feels the tickling chill shelve itself away. _Emotional detachment and suppression_ , the woman had said. The words sound like something straight out of Nagi's medical files. "Please.. continue."

_Invasion of privacy, invasion of privacy, invasion of privacy._

"The point is that.. Nagi will definitely be safer and harder to reach on the Island. I.. would know, since I was born and raised there myself. If someone wanted to hurt you, or take you away, they would not be allowed to enter the Island. If _we_ wanted to hurt you or take you away, we wouldn't be allowed to enter either."

"B-but how? How is it so much safer than here.. and why?"

"...That's something you'll see if you go, Nagi. It's not something I can explain."

"You should go, Nagi," mother says firmly. Nagi's heart folds in on itself. "I'm not saying this because I... because I want to _get rid of you_ \- you were an accident and I won't ever regret thinking that way. I can't help the way I feel towards you, but I know you don't deserve that kind of treatment. I don't want to see you _hurt_ , either. The Island is.... safe."

For once, Nagi sees something like concern and nostalgia on her mother's face. Or maybe she's always worn it and Nagi has just never noticed it before. Never looked up.

"..I went there after your father died, to.. relax. Before I returned to work. I met your step-father there and went back a few times a year."

Nagi never knew that. Somehow it never crossed her mind to ask where the man had come from, this new father, mother's new husband. It didn't seem to matter. All she had cared about at the time was the fact that her birth-father had been smeared across the pavement in traffic accident involving several pedestrians. Nagato Sugita's fate hadn't been the worst. They could still identify his face.

Piecing together the rest of his body was what had held up the funeral for so long. Nagi wasn't supposed to know that part, but it _had_ been all over the news...

"You'll be.. _safe_ there. Nagi. From all of us."

"..I'll be alone, too."

It doesn't sound as bad as it should. Hasn't she always been alone? At home, at school. She has no friends and her parents are hardly ever home for more than a handful of hours at a time.

Does mother even know her favorite food?

...Actually, does Nagi even _have_ a favorite food?

"..I. Um, I like.. chocolate." She looks up to meet their tentative gazes. "Is.. do they have good chocolates on the.. the Island?"

Father cracks a bit of a smile.

"..Why don't we visit Tokyo and pick up some truffles from Teuscher before heading to the Island?"

"T-.. _tooscher_?"

"Or Mont St. Clair instead?" [3]

"Oh!"

Oh.

"..Isn't that a little far to go just for chocolate, papa?"

And expensive...

 

* * *

* * *

 

He closes his eyes. And waits.

_My name is Hokuto Yuu._

Draws upon the latent heat sleeping deep within his chest, in the core of his mind. Megumi still awake and making sure all her appointments and photoshoots are rescheduled properly. Nagi is sleeping.

Probably.

_I wish to speak with.. Jeong-Seo Kaede._

He breathes in and out, feels himself going below the level of conscious and subconscious, a plane in between. A wavelength measured by the beating of his heart, the activity of his mind, the twitches of his body.

Yuu registers distantly the wave of murmurs that rise up to meet him, that take the thoughts from his mind and transfer them to the Artificial Mist Resonance Field. It resonates, as its namesake suggests. Back and forth.

He hears his own words being pulled away and thrown back again and again, amplifying it until it reaches a deafening roar and he

slips

_slips_

under.

  
  


_Yuu-kun._

_Ah._ A smile that he can hear rather than feel makes its way onto his face. _Kokuyo Guardian._

_It's good to see you again. How have you been?_

_Oh... well enough._

_Has Vongola been treating you well?_

_I'm not.. actually in Vongola, Guardian._

_Nevertheless._ A faint chuckle reverberates in his skull as though it were his own. _Has dear Nagi made her decision? Ah, I mean, Nagi-kun._

_We have.. discussed the matter. And we do think it best that she be relocated to the island. For her own sake._

_Good, good. I hope Jeong-Seo-ssi wasn't too rude about it._

_I think that should be Jeong-Seo-nim, Guardian._

_Aaah, I still can't get used to all those honorifics. Japan's are simple enough. Ah, in any case, Yuu-kun, will you be visiting as well? You've been feeling alright on the mainland?_

_Yes, Guardian. I am... I have been. Adapting. Well enough._

_Well, you had the Artificial Mist Resonance Field to draw from during the weaning process. But I'm glad to hear it all the same. Please don't hesitate to drop by, Yuu-kun. The Kokuyo Travel and Tourism Agency will always welcome you with open arms._ [4]

_I will, Guardian._ There is a pause, but in a place where time matters little and distance matters even less, it feels like a moment and an eternity all at once. _...I leave my daughter in your care._

_Of course, Yuu-kun. We take care of our own. Each and every one of them._

* * *

And all that they claim as their own.

* * *

The day after Nagi leaves, Hokuto Yuu opens the front door of his house with a grim face. He greets them in Italian.

" _Signor_ Visconti. _Signor_ Croquant."

" _Signor_ Hokuto." Visconti's brow does a shuffle. Croquant dips his head. "We are here to speak with your daughter. Nagi."

"She's not here." His breath leaves in a rush of adrenaline. Pulling one over on the Vongola is something he would never think of doing- at least, not on his own. Islanders are feisty when it comes to that which is theirs. When it comes to Family. "You won't find her."

" _Signor_ Hokuto—"

"No one will find her." Yuu draws himself up straighter, staring down the taller, larger men. Vongola's finest.

And yet.

" _No one_ will find her where she is."

  
[1] gifu: stepfather, father-in-law  
[2] VM / Vongola Moda: (italian) lit. Vongola Fashion.  
[3] Teuscher / Mont St. Clair: supposedly pricey chocolate stores. mont st. clair's pictures are really fancy and delicious looking actually. and I don't even like chocolate.  
[4] Kokuyo Travel and Tourism Agency: if google translate isn't lying to me, in japanese it is _Kokuyo Ryokou Kankou Dairiten_. Kokuyo RKD. the main 'organization' on the kokuyo side of the island, just like the disciplinary committee is on the hibari side.

so, a note on Korean honorifics, as i understand it: -ssi the most commonly used honorific in korean between people of about equal status. however, appending it to the surname can be quite rude since it indicates that the speaker considers himself higher than the one he is addressing. -nim is used when speaking to someone who is revered, of higher age, status, etc. HOWEVER, unlike in japanese, when referring to someone while speaking to someone else, the honorific should be modified to fit the relation of the one being referred to, to the one being spoken to. in this case, Jeong-Seo Kaede is of higher status and rank than Hokuto Yuu, but lower than ‘Kokuyo Guardian’. therefore, when speaking about Jeong-Seo to Hokuto, the Guardian should use what Hokuto would use when speaking to Jeong-Seo, which is -nim or something more formal and respectful, so Hokuto corrects the honorific usage.

vongola is a clam. the island is kakishima, from ‘kaki’ oyster and ‘shima’ island. therefore. oyster. 'close enough', as nagi says.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really wanted to explore nagi's family? like, what we get in canon is? needs to be explored?? and so does nagi???
> 
> nagi is older than tsuna and co. and I'm loving it. I'm gonna love it. she's gonna call mukuro mukuro-chan and pat him on the head. she will.


	4. TAKESHI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: did I mention yamamoto 'secretly a honey badger' takeshi's violent tendencies?? off-handedly contemplated violence and murder. glorified violence. takeshi has some physical conditions and this is probably? not an 'accurate' depiction of someone with that physical condition. but it's takeshi's version of it. because this is yamamoto 'will still cut down bullets at point blank range by the age of 13 without batting an eye' takeshi.
> 
> takeshi talks a lot. he talks so much. there are so many words.

* * *

**YAMAMOTO TAKESHI;** or The Day / Month / Year? He Made A Friend

* * *

Takeshi lives with his dad. And his mom. Separately. Mostly his dad, now that he's starting school soon. His mom comes home every few months to hang out.

But it's not what you think! They're still married, they're happily married. At least, Takeshi thinks so. They don't even see each other that often...

But when they do, they smile a lot. That means they're happy, right? Yeah.

Yeah.

* * *

"Mom's gone already?" Takeshi makes a face and rubs at his eye as he comes down the stairs. It's morning and he's still sleepy. And grumpy. Because his mom left last night without saying goodbye.

"She has work, Takeshi. You know that. Stop rubbing, you'll just make it worse."

"Can't get much worse, can it?" He huffs.

His dad just ruffles the hair on Takeshi's head with a strained smile. "Want your eyepatch?"

"..Yeah, sure, why not. Did you find the baseball one?"

"No, but I found the sushi one."

The nigiri-emblazoned eyepatch is tossed at Takeshi's head and he makes a sound as he fixes it over his right eye.

"You _always_ have the sushi ones, dad. When do I get one with a sword on it?"

"When you're taller than one."

"I am!"

"Short swords don't count."

"But an _odachi_ is, like, a mile long." [1]

"When you turn 10, then."

"Dad, that's a million years away."

His father laughs. It's a nice sound to hear, especially when Takeshi knows they're both just as equally sad about mom leaving so soon.

"It's 5 years away, son. You have your _bento_?"

"Only if you put something besides sushi in there, dad," Takeshi says while shaking his bag to prove the lunchbox is inside.

"Of course I did! Sushi for lunch? That's just spoiling you."

Yeah, it would be. Takeshi wouldn't mind though. But he doesn't feel up to throwing a tantrum just for some sushi.

"Don't come home too late, okay? We have to go to the clinic after you're back from daycare, so I'm closing early."

Takeshi brightens. "Yeah. Got it."

* * *

He comes home with a bandaged wrist and a cheeky grin.

"..Takeshi, did you-"

"Sprained my wrist during break again."

His father makes a distressed noise. Takeshi laughs.

"Hey Tsuna!" He waves as he trots past the smaller boy. The other boy waves a little, not _listless_ but not excited either. Lazily. He's not with his mom this time but an older man. Takeshi stops for a moment, gaze darting between the boy and the man.

"He's family," Sawada chirps, stuffing his face with another piece of nigirizushi. He smiles up at his companion and they share a laugh.

"Oh. Well." The man doesn't look Japanese at all. But the Sawadas are, like.. part-foreign? Something like that. They're everywhere. Takeshi saw some in Kokuyo and down at the hospital too. _Everywhere_. "Enjoy your meal then!"

Sawada says he will and Takeshi waves one more time before heading up the stairs.

Appointments with Dr. Ueda don't usually take too long, but there's a lot of homework and Takeshi still wants to play ball tomorrow morning. And after school. He had to skip today because of his appointment.

"I'm closing in an hour, Takeshi!" His father calls up the stairs behind him. "Be ready by then, okay?"

Takeshi shouts back an ‘okay!' before getting to work. 50 minutes to buckle down and finish as many workbooks as he can. 10 minutes to clean up and make sure he's dressed and ready.

The work is still easy at this point, so he has just a few pages left when the egg timer goes off. Takeshi can finish the rest before bed. He throws all his books into his bag and checks his clothes in the mirror. A little rumpled, but he's only 5!

It's also early October and cold out. Takeshi shrugs on a puffy jacket and thinks about the panda hood Sawada had been wearing. He wonders if they make any with baseballs for ears.

"Dad, do they make coats with baseballs on the hood?"

His dad watches him hop down the stars with a wry look. "Baseballs on the hood?"

"Like ears. Like what Tsuna was wearing."

"I don't think I've ever seen one. We can ask your mother next time she visits. Kokuyo has everything." Takeshi makes a sound like he agrees and starts pulling on his shoes. "Who was that, by the way?"

"Who?"

"That Tsuna boy. Friend of yours?"

"Nah, he just goes to the same daycare. He's a Sawada," Takeshi says, as though that explains everything. It does to him! Everyone else says it.

But _everyone else_ happens to have lived in Namimori, on Kakishima, for a lot more than Takeshi's 5 years or his father's 10 years. The Sawadas? They're ancient.

So his dad just says "Oh," but Takeshi knows he doesn't get it. Takeshi doesn't either. Maybe he'll ask Dr. Ueda. Dr. Ueda knows everything.

"I'm ready!"

"Alright, sport. Your eyepatch is crooked." Takeshi stands still and lets his father readjust the straps snugly around the back of his head. "There. Let's go, we can get dinner on the way back. What do you want to eat?"

"Mmm, how about _maman_ 's?"

"..Which restaurant is that again?"

"Tsuna's mom's!"

"Oh. Did she open a restaurant?"

"No, but she said we're welcome to come over for dinner." Takeshi takes no notice to his father's confusion. "Tsuna says she likes cooking! And that she keeps cooking for 4 instead of 2, and..."

Takeshi chatters on about school and the Sawadas as his father locks up and they start walking down to the clinic. His teacher calls it the _Sawada Syndrome_. Takeshi doesn't get it. Well, he does! But he doesn't. Why doesn't his dad know about this, anyway? His dad's been here soooo much longer, he should know.

Dr. Ueda checks his wrist first and says nothing is broken or dislocated. Just a muscle strain.

"How did this happen, Yamamoto-kun?"

"I.. threw a baseball?"

Dr. Ueda shares a look with his father, who just shrugs helplessly. He says the nurse can take care of it on the way out, but that Takeshi should take it easy on that arm for a week, to be safe.

Takeshi has no idea what that means, but he nods anyway. It seems to satisfy the doctor, because he moves onto the next issue.

"How is your back feeling?"

"Um, better. I've been drinking a lot of milk and eating..." Takeshi makes a face. "..broccoli. I'm not limping anymore and it doesn't hurt as much now. Usually."

"Sometimes?"

"When I wake up. But dad says he gets achy bones in the morning too."

"Tsuyoshi?" Dr. Ueda gives a smile. "Do I need to prescribe something for you, too?"

"Ah, no.. I'm just getting to that age, Dr. Ueda," his father laughs. "It's nothing to worry about."

It's from his mom's side of the family, anyway. They've been on the island even longer than his dad has. Not as long as the Sawadas though.

Dr. Ueda squeezes and presses on parts of his arms and chest and back. It doesn't feel as bad as it did last year, or the year before that. That's progress! That's progress.

Takeshi bounces in his seat, jittery and excited to hear the results. He wants to be okay. He wants everything to be okay, he wants his bones to stop hurting and he wants this thing called depth perception and he wants his family back together again.

He keeps his eyes open as a small flashlight shines into one then the other. He follows Dr. Ueda's fingers with his eyes- or tries to. He is prescribed some medicated eyedrops. For dry eyes.

Takeshi's dad takes the prescription paper and pockets it. They might pick some up, if he has any problems.

"Well, it looks to be clearing up a little, but I can't guarantee it will go away all on its own. Are you sure you don't want to consider surgery for him, Tsuyoshi?"

"I'm willing if he wants to," his dad says with a small smile. "Takeshi? You still want to keep wearing that eyepatch?"

"It looks cool! I need more so people can sign them." Takeshi kicks his feet, oblivious to whatever thoughts it is that his dad and doctor are sharing. "Besides, dad, I was born like this. No one makes fun of me and I can still throw a ball better than anyone else I play with."

Given that his playmates are also 5 and don't naturally pitch like they're trying to give someone a black eye, it's not saying much.

"It's not giving you any problems then? Other than the usual."

Takeshi thinks about it and shakes his head. He's still learning how to aim his limbs properly with the patch on, but so far it's been okay. He hasn't had any issue doing chores around the house.

"Very well then. Tsuyoshi, I'm going to set up another blood test and bone scan appointment for Yamamoto-kun down at the hospital. If the results are good, we'll keep up the current diet and exercise. If not... I'll prescribe some vitamins. We can try to fit those into his daily diet or use supplements."

Takeshi catches his father's downcast look and reaches out, because he's okay. He's gotta be okay.

"..But we'll worry about it if it comes to that, Tsuyoshi. For now, just keep up the hard work. Fatty fish is good for him."

"Good thing I'm a sushi chef," his dad says blandly.

Takeshi laughs.

* * *

"So, Takeshi," his dad says once they've left the clinic. "What do you want for dinner?"

Takeshi wants something colorful. If he wanted mom to make it, he'd probably have to call it something like... Colorful Korean-style Mixed Rice. Otherwise dad wouldn't even let him ask for it. But since they're eating out..

" _Bibimbap_!" [2]

"We're not eating foreign foods, Takeshi."

"We're not in the house and you're not making it. There's a really nice place in Gendo-cho! I heard some of the parents talking about it."

His dad gives him a look of long suffering and exasperation. And also stubbornness.

But Takeshi is just as stubborn, so he grins and starts pulling on his dad's hand towards the invisible line that divides Namimori-cho and Gendo-cho.

* * *

They don't start actually stealing his things until 1st grade is almost over. Takeshi isn't helpless though. He has a bag full of baseballs and tennis balls and pockets full of rocks and pelts anyone who tries to filch his eyepatches. He's got sooo many, he can't _possibly_ miss just one, right? The less cool looking ones? Right?

 _Wrong_. Because to Takeshi, they're all equally cool and they're all equally _his_.

Takeshi spends the first few months of 2nd grade with a sprained wrist and sore shoulder. One time, they try to shove him over and take his bag.

He gets a fracture in his leg and probably puts fractures in _their_ legs with how hard he pitches at their shins and calves. Shitty depth perception be damned. Next time he'll aim at their backs.

Takeshi figures it's probably because he's always injured. Even though it's his own fault for pushing his body too hard, some kids seem to think he's being _bullied_ and that it's therefore okay to keep bullying him. They don't realize that he's been microfracturing his fists since he was old enough to throw a decent punch. They don't realize he stubs his toes often enough that they're probably indestructible now.

They don't realize he's found a friend and common interest in Sasagawa Ryouhei. Takeshi brings milk boxes for them both. And Sasagawa's sister.

(At some point he'll look back and realize part of it was because he kept hovering around Sawada, who was in turn being hovered over by Sawasaga's sister and thus Sasagawa himself, and was about as much of a blatant target for bullying as you could get without painting an actual literal target on him. But by then it wouldn't matter.)

* * *

Takeshi thinks his 2nd year entrance ceremony is the best one of them all. Granted, he's only had two so far, so he's a bit biased.

The previous chairman of Namimori Precinct' Disciplinary Committee finally turned 21 and went on to join the Senior Division, and is attending the elementary school's entrance ceremony to pass down the baton - quite literally.

Traditionally it would have gone to a 4th or 5th year, someone a little older, with a little more experience with the rules and with disciplinary actions.

Imagine the surprise when it had gone to one still-7-year-old Hibari Kyouya. Class 2-0.

(Takeshi can only imagine it. He hadn't started school yet the year that had happened, but he'd heard about it!)

The Disciplinary Committee didn't even usually _accept_ members from anyone below 4th year. That was the whole point. Turning 10 years old is the life goal and dream of just about every kid in school, because that's when the Disciplinary Committee would even start looking your way. _Takeshi_ has only been in school for a year and he can't wait to be 10. The Disciplinary Committee is _so cool_. They have _special uniforms_. And _batons_. They're exempted from Namimori Primary's school code stipulating a ban on weapons on school grounds.

They get to _hit things_!

So, yeah. Takeshi was excited to hear that someone had broken the rules and joined the Disciplinary Committee and was _leading it_ before they were supposed to.

Mostly, he just wants a baton to hit things with.

Which is probably why he finds it cathartic to watch the Disciplinary Committee in action.

Especially when someone decides to challenge Hibari Kyouya's seat as Chairman during Takeshi's 2nd grade entrance ceremony.

Takeshi has never seen a 12 year old get his ass handed to him as quickly as this one did. And he's never seen a 10 year old deliver such a controlled one-sided trouncing as well as Hibari did. It's- it can't even be called a beating.

It's one wallop to the stomach, right around the gut area. Enough to wind a person but not really injure them. And then Hibari plants a foot in that same spot to shove the other boy off the stage while he's still keeled forward.

Hibari stands imperiously at the edge, still as a statue, looking down his nose the way a king looks upon his kingdom.

Yeah. Takeshi can't _wait_ until he's 10. Him and everyone else.

* * *

It's no surprise to him that during his annual _fiamma_ testing appointment, Takeshi manages to light his glass canister by really, really, _really_ being unable to wait for summer because it's a year closer to being a 4th year and he really, really, _really_ wants to join the Disciplinary Committee.

Takeshi has probably been hanging around the elder Sasagawa sibling a little too much. He's really pumped to join the Committee too. Sasagawa's two years older though, so he's been trying to get in all year. Takeshi hopes they'll let him.

He doesn't think Sasagawa will be using a baton, though.

"What is your resolve, Yamamoto-kun?"

"It's a secret!" Takeshi laughs, clutching the canister close with a giddiness that never seems to have surfaced before. Not when he was too busy _wanting to join the Committee_ to see much else. He's been practicing a lot. Training a lot. The baseball club is almost scared of him.

Now, though? Now everything seems... _clearer_. Calmer. He hugs the glass and lets this cold, cooling, liquid warmth wash over him. Everything hurts less. A _lot_ less.

As if noticing this new change, Dr. Ueda tugs the glass away. To Takeshi's relief, the warmth doesn't disappear with it. "What's wrong, Yamamoto-kun?"

"I feel.. kinda tingly." He scratches at his eyepatch. There's a swallow on it. "And, um."

Takeshi flexes his fingers, rolls his shoulders. Hops down from his seat and does a few jigs.

"..My back doesn't hurt anymore."

Dr. Ueda does the same squeezing and prodding, pressing down on spots on Takeshi's back and along his arms. Takeshi can barely feel it. Actually, he can't feel it at all!

That's... probably not a good thing.

"It looks like your body is instinctively using the flames' calming effect to mask any chronic pain you've been feeling, Yamamoto-kun."

"That's good?"

"In a sense. I'm sure you're glad to not feel like your old man anymore."

Takeshi laughs. Tsuyoshi sighs and mutters something about wishing he could do the same.

"Unfortunately, this level of self-sedation could be a problem... Do you know about diabetes, Yamamoto-kun?"

"Um... people who are really sweet?"

"Close." Dr. Ueda chuckles, despite himself. "Diabetes is an illness where your body can't absorb sugar very well, so it stays in the blood. That makes it very thick, like syrup, and this thick blood damages the nerves that let you feel pain... At first it hurts a lot, but eventually you start losing feeling in your hands and feet. Can you guess why this would be a problem, Yamamoto-kun?"

"..Well, um. I wouldn't be able to hold a bat. Or a ball? I.. wouldn't be able to tell if I was holding it tight enough."

"You've got the right idea. Now, imagine, Yamamoto-kun... that you've lost feeling in your legs. You can still walk just fine, but it's numb. You go out for a walk.. and you fall down. Maybe you fracture your leg again, maybe you land on something sharp."

"I wouldn't notice it," Takeshi surmises quickly, and with a very, _very_ slowly rising panic. "I.. I would be walking home on a broken leg. Bleeding. That's..."

"That's dangerous, you're right. On the other hand, Yamamoto-kun, if it had hurt a lot, you might not have been able to go home or get help. Do you see what I mean?"

"So.. If I can control how much I mask my pain, or when, then, um.. that'd be good. Right?"

The doctor nods.

"Very good. So. In light of this, Yamamoto-kun, I'd like for you to learn how to activate and deactivate the masking effect for now. I'll see if we can get some equipment sent up here to help you fine tune your control, but if not, I'll have to send you down to the research facility."

That has Takeshi bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"I can see the inside of the research facility?"

"If they have time to give you a tour while you're there."

Takeshi lets out a whoop. And then winces, because his concentration slipped and his back hurts again.

* * *

"How extreme was your _fiamma_ testing appointment, Yamamoto?"

"It was great! I'm a Rain, apparently. Turns out it really helps with my back pain."

"That is EXTREMELY good to hear! Does that mean you're not bringing salmon _bento_ anymore?"

"You leech, senpai!" Takeshi laughs, bumping elbows with the elder sibling. "Freeloader."

"Your dad gets very good cuts of fish! I am not ashamed to beg for them."

"Dad wouldn't let you beg for them. Um, how did yours go?"

"I'm still extremely not allowed to use my flames for anything. Kyouko can use hers to heal me though!"

That's, eh. Probably a good thing. Takeshi doesn't have anything against beating up thugs, but the elder Sasagawa makes a habit of doing it too often. He gets injured way more than Takeshi does, and Takeshi has, like, bones made of dust. And joints made of jelly, probably.

They've been cautioned by teachers that they should not engage in any serious fights until they're 10 and old enough to take classes at the Defense Academy. Sasagawa _is_ taking classes, but all he really cares about is punching things and not.. you know. Keeping himself safe.

It's a very.. auspicious age, Takeshi supposes. Three years after the first of the _yakudoshi_ [3], and three years before the next one. The perfect time to get started preparing for all those bad years ahead.

Then again, there's people like _Hibari Kyouya_ who had supposedly enrolled when he was 6. Probably to prepare him for being Chairman the year after.

Man, Takeshi really can't wait. Just another year! And a few months! They're _almost there_!

"Hey, Yamamoto, I'm going to get to class now. Meet you after club activities for patrol?"

They're not really supposed to be patrolling. Sasagawa's got good fists, and Takeshi's microfactures have been building up so punching doesn't hurt as much anymore. They haven't had any.. problems. So far.

"..Not today, senpai. I'm supposed to practice my flames. Doctor's orders."

"Oh." Sasagawa deflates a little, but pulls himself up not long after. "Alright! Then I'll extremely patrol for your share, too!"

Takeshi pats him on the back despite being younger and wishes him luck. Sasagawa runs off, arms pumping, like he's about to run a marathon instead of heading to class.

The younger Sasagawa corners Takeshi as he slides into his seat and Takeshi curses inwardly.

"What were you talking about with my brother?" Sasagawa's sister asks with a sticky sweet smile that's almost too wide for her face.

God. Takeshi hates talking to Sasagawa Kyouko sometimes. He's so glad they're not in the same class. Emotional _menace_.

"Um. Just about my _fiamma_ testing appointment yesterday? And your brother's. We shared."

"Hmmm." She hums. Patient.

Takeshi clears his throat and leans back just a little bit.

"He asked if I was going to patrol with him later today-"

" _Oh_?"

"-and I told him I couldn't!" Takeshi finishes quickly before she can start pulling faces about how much she doesn't like him fighting, like she always does. "Uh, Dr. Ueda says I have some.. things I need to be doing. No patrol for me! Haha."

She squints at him and hides the narrowing of her eyes behind a smile.

"Really?"

Sometimes, Takeshi swears he'll have a bullshit complex if he keeps running into her _and_ hanging out with her brother. He can't handle this anymore.

No, wait, he can. He can now. Takeshi had practiced flickering the heat in his chest last night, like flipping a lighter on and off. He does it now and lets the cool, soothing feeling wash down his back and over his toes.

"Yeah. I'll even try to get him not to patrol today when I see him later. Yeah?"

Sasagawa brightens.

"Thanks, Yamamoto-kun."

Takeshi's shoulders bunch up _just so_. Sasagawa smiles again and skips off, probably to terrorize Sawada for a few minutes before she goes back to her own classroom. Sawada squeaks when she materializes next to his desk.

Oooh yeah. He's _so_ glad they're not in the same grade.

For now, Takeshi just kind of zens out and relishes this state of _feeling no pain at all_ until class is over.

Well. Until Sasagawa shakes him out of his floating bliss and drags him down the hall so they can tell her brother _together_ that he will be doing no such patrolling today.

Sawada gives him a sympathetic sort of look and wave as they pass him by. Takeshi wonders what club he managed to join.

* * *

The next morning, Sasagawa comes to school with gauze and three stitches on his left brow and a folder of official paperwork to fill out for joining the Disciplinary Committee. His sister marches up to Takeshi and looks at him with an unreadable expression. Her eyes are rimmed red.

Takeshi... is not sure how to feel.

"...I wish I had been there too." He means it in the best way possible.

She.. looks like she's going to cry. Her lower lip trembles. She probably _has_ been crying.

Sawada limps through the gate just before the first bell rings, spares them a glance, and scuttles on towards the doors.

"..I don't," she says finally. "I don't wish you were there."

"Why not? I.. I could've helped- if I'd been there like I was usually—"

"It wouldn't have made a difference. Tsuna- Tsuna was there and it made no difference."

Yeah, well, Sawada is also about the size of a mouse and just as deadly. Then Takeshi stops that analogy, because mice can actually get pretty deadly if there's enough of them.

Still.

When did she start calling him Tsuna instead of Tsuna-kun?

Ah. Probably since last night?

"It wasn't no difference, Kyouko!" Her brother states. "It would've been extremely worse if Tsuna wasn't there. I wouldn't have let them take you either way."

"They were after _you_ , stupid onii-san!" Sasagawa's sister punches his shoulder weakly. He doesn't even budge.

She should do it with more gusto. Like, _oomph_ , wham. That'd get his attention. 

"Exactly! Dragging you into this just because they have a problem with me is extremely not extreme."

What.

"What?"

Oh. He didn't mean to say that out loud. It was just- what?!

"Yamamoto!" Does Sasagawa never get tired of shouting? Is he hearing impaired? Maybe? But he has an inside voice sometimes too. "I do wish you were there too. They would've been easy to chase off. But! I'm also glad that you weren't!"

"Um...?"

He grins. It's like he doesn't know how not to grin, even though Takeshi has never really seen him grin all that much. It looks so _right_.

"I'm extremely glad you weren't hurt, Yamamoto."

Takeshi's stomach does lurching flips. 

"..I'm. I'm glad too. That you guys aren't too hurt. And I'm still sorry I wasn't there to help." He scratches the back of his neck and figures he should smile a little. Relief. He knows how to show that feeling- and he feels it anyway, so Sasagawa's sister can't call him on it. "..How did Tsuna get wrapped up in that anyway?"

"It was after you left, Yamamoto," she says softly. She looks off in the direction Sawada had gone. "Tsuna.. I- I think he thought they were there for.. for _him_. I knew they were waiting for brother, so I- I thought... we'd all be safer if we went together. I.. I didn't think they'd dare.."

Takeshi didn't either. He saw them and had sent a message to the Committee, thinking they would handle it. Why didn't they?

He reaches out to pat her on the shoulder, gently, because she flinches a little. Her brother twitches but doesn't stop Takeshi.

"..We should probably get to class. And walk home together. Yeah? No patrols."

It's a little out of the way for Takeshi, and the Sasagawas know that. But Takeshi never gets trouble outside of school anymore. It's always the kids in his grade that give him a hard time. He has no idea why.

"Extremely yes!"

"Onii-san... you have to report to the Committee after school."

Sasagawa's brother stops in the middle of throwing his fists in the air and droops. Takeshi laughs.

* * *

Lunch comes around and instead of grabbing some food from the cafeteria, Takeshi knocks on the door of the Committee office. Someone tells him to come in, the door is unlocked.

"Um.. Is Hibari-san here?" he asks, poking his head in. And maybe a little more on second thought, because what if someone tries to shut the door on him and his little neck? That would be bad.

There's quite a few Committee members in the room, too. Takeshi's more or less outnumbered.

"He's... busy," says the boy that Takeshi recognizes as Hibari Kyouya's second-in-command. Kusakabe. Kusakabe something or other. "What did you need?"

"Um.. It's about- I had a question about what happened to Sasagawa-senpai and Kyouko and Tsuna. Yesterday."

"I see." Kusakabe's gaze flickers briefly around the room and Takeshi notes that a few people are frozen at the mention of the incident. The older boy gestures towards a closed door. "..He's right through there."

"I thought he was busy?"

"It's paperwork. Kyouya-san hates paperwork. It's fine." Kusakabe's smile is surprisingly bland for someone who is like, 11 years old. 12? How old is Kusakabe? He's been here forever. "Go on."

Takeshi does just that. Trots through the office and slips into the other room with only the door clicking shut to herald his arrival. Carpeted floors sure are nice. Dad would never get rid of their tatami mats. Takeshi can move pretty quietly on anything though.

"Yamamoto Takeshi," Hibari says from his desk. It's about as big as any teacher's desk, though the chair seems to be boosted higher, and just as covered with.... _paperwork_. "What is your business here?"

"The thing with the high schoolers yesterday," Takeshi says. This catches Hibari's attention easily, though the Chairman doesn't look up from his work. "..I wanted to ask why Tsuna was so injured."

"The little animal got himself involved in a fight when he had no fighting ability to speak of," is all Hibari offers as an answer.

"Well, yeah. But Sasagawa-senpai was there too and he didn't look nearly as hurt."

"Sasagawa Ryouhei knows how to keep himself from being struck. It will be a good skill for when he joins the Committee."

No he doesn't! 

"I sent a message to the Committee board about the high schoolers," Takeshi presses.

"The Committee responded."

"I know. I saw them arrive." Here, Hibari _does_ look up, and his eyes are steely and unreadable. "..I didn't leave until after they got there."

"Nakano Yasu and Sato Shiori were dispatched to the specified location after your message was received. Their combat ability was more than enough to repel the intruders."

"Then why didn't they?"

Takeshi doesn't know what this feeling is- anger, probably. Frustration. Ryouhei was hurt, Kyouko was hurt- _Sawada_ was hurt, and Takeshi barely even cares about Sawada!

"Given your report that they were already at the scene, the fact that Sawada Tsunayoshi, Sasagawa Ryouhei, and Sasagawa Kyouko were still involved in the altercation can only mean that the Committee members we dispatched did not perform their duties."

Why does Hibari have to use such big words? He's only 10. Takeshi is still... 8. What does altercation even mean?

"Your own people didn't do their job right, how are you just- how can you just sit here like this?"

"Do you mean to tell me what I should be doing, Yamamoto Takeshi?" Hibari's tone is sharp. Takeshi doesn't think he's ever heard the Chairman this testy or angry before. If.. it even counts as angry.

Probably? Takeshi takes a moment and realizes, yes. He was being a little rude. But he's angry! Angry people are rude. A little.

"Yes. No. Sorry. I mean—" Maybe it's because Hibari seems to have just finished his paperwork. Maybe it's because Hibari is standing up and his wooden baton looks more lethal than anything under the lamplight from where it's hanging at Hibari's side. "..I want to join the Disciplinary Committee."

Hibari squints.

"..You are not yet a 4th year."

"I know. Sasagawa-senpai and I have been wanting to join since, uh... I don't remember. So! So, I'm.. I'm a little upset. That the Committee would have people who would neglect their duties. I mean, I don't like Tsuna that much- but if I was a Committee member I wouldn't just... let him get hurt like that. Neither would Sasagawa-senpai."

Hibari stays on the other side of the desk for a minute. Maybe two. The air is heavy and Takeshi lets his flames relax the tenseness in his back in preparation to _flee_ if need be. Hibari Kyouya is _scary_. Cool, awesome, and strong, but so terrifying.

Takeshi jumps when Hibari smacks a stack of papers into his chest, peering down at him even as he peers _up_ because Takeshi is still taller, if only just by a little bit. For now.

"You will give these files to Tetsuya."

"Uh. Who?"

"My second-in-command."

"Oh. Okay. Why?"

"Because I have something else to do," Hibari says, and takes the two pink slips from the stack and leaves the room, twirling the baton in his free hand as he goes. His expression doesn't change a bit throughout the whole thing.

The Committee office is as silent as a grave until Hibari closes the door behind him. Then all the heads snap over to Takeshi. He makes a distressed gurgling sound and clutches the papers in his hands tighter even as Kusakabe comes up to him.

"What are these and why do I feel like someone's going to be slaughtered? Were those pink slips? _The_ pink slips, the fabled _pink slips_?"

Kusakabe suffers Takeshi's babbling with a practiced, exhausted air, and even offers a hand to take the papers from him.

"As you may know, there used to be twice as many Committee members before Kyouya-san became Chairman."

Takeshi swallows and takes a sparing glance at the topmost sheet of paper as he hands the stack over.

The words _Notice of dismissal, Nakano Yasu, class 6-C_ , and _Sato Shiori, class 6-0_ jump out at him the most. Then _Reason for dismissal: willful neglect of duty, multiple counts. Incidental damage to school property, four counts. Suspected and found guilty of--_

"He's dismissing them for taking his favorite drinks from the Committee fridge..?"

"You should have heard him ranting about it. He wanted to get a locked one for his personal office in junior high."

"That's.... not in the school budget? Probably?"

Hibari? _Ranting_?

"It's in Kyouya-san's budget."

Takeshi gives a little bit of an incredulous laugh. He is 8. Hibari is 10. And wants a locked fridge for his office. To keep his _drinks_ from being stolen.

"...If I make it into the Committee I will do my best to protect Hibari-san's favorite drinks," Takeshi says sagely, and nods to himself.

Kusakabe looks pleased. The others seem take it as a way to break the tension and chuckle from their places behind desks and in front of file cabinets.

Takeshi continues.

"I like regular milk better anyway."

The office collectively gasps, except Kusakabe, who just looks defeated. Someone chokes on something.

"Please don't let Kyouya-san hear you say that."

Takeshi can see it now. _Reason for dismissal: showing great disrespect for the Chairman's preferred beverage._

* * *

His 3rd year of primary is spent playing baseball and practicing flame control, in equal amounts. Dr. Ueda did indeed manage to get some flame testing equipment moved to the clinic and had become subsequently busier as a result. Takeshi hasn't ever seen the place so, well. Crowded.

Dr. Ueda says it's mostly because children are curious about the new equipment and want to see what it does. None of them really _need_ it though, so he just gives them a regular checkup and sends them on their ways. They can come back once they've lit a canister.

Takeshi has.

So Takeshi stands still as Dr. Ueda rubs some kind of cold jelly onto spots on his back, his shoulders, his arms and chest, and several places on his legs. Then he puts white circle patches on those spots. There's wires connecting him to the machine. Takeshi feels like he's in a sci-fi movie.

The way Dr. Ueda explains it to him and his dad, the patches will record any flames being used in his body and display them on the screen. The cap on his head with more wires sticking out of it will record any use of flames in his brain.

Takeshi spends a good 10 minutes playing around, watching the light blue color on the screen move from his arms to his legs and dance around his shoulders. Dr. Ueda seems pleased with this amount of control.

It's harder to keep his flames localized for long periods of time though. Takeshi's good at making the whole screen light up- or, well, the whole representation of himself on the screen -but fine tuning that control is proving more difficult. He knows how to punch someone without spraining his wrists now, but he can't do _this_.

Oh. There it goes. Wrists only. The phantom throbbing goes away.

"Follow your instincts, Yamamoto-kun. That seems to work best for you."

Takeshi nods. He tries. Focuses on the slight ache in his back and he gets usually, right along the spine and just above his hips, and watches the blue on the screen change to match. The pain dulls, too.

This following his instincts thing is pretty neat. A lot easier than the standard manual for flame control. Control? Ha! This thing is this new best friend.

"Doctor, could I.. I dunno, use this on someone else?"

"Whatever for, Yamamoto-kun?"

"I have a, ah, a friend! He gets hurt a lot.. could I help with something like that?"

"No," Dr. Ueda says so quickly, and so sternly, that Takeshi's smile almost drops. _Almost_. "I'm sorry, Yamamoto-kun, I didn't mean to be so direct. But you must understand... every person's body is different. You've lived your life with your conditions and you can handle the pain that you wake up with daily, but if that pain was given to someone else, many would find it unbearable. The same goes for your flames. Do you remember what I told you about the dangers of numbing too much of your nerves?"

"Mm-hm..."

"Rain flames have the property of tranquility. Calming, soothing, slowing things down. I've heard that you can almost stop time with them, if used properly. But like with all flames, they can also be very dangerous. Most of the human body can function just fine if it's slowed down a little. Many people spend years in a comatose state and wake up more or less fine. But just because you know how much of your flames is needed to numb _your_ pain, Yamamoto-kun, doesn't mean that same amount won't make someone else slow down to the point of losing consciousness. Does that make sense?"

"Um..." Takeshi's face scrunches up. "...Yeah. Don't do it. At least until I have a lot more control?"

Dr. Ueda nods. "Or unless you absolutely need to protect someone."

"Dad, probably. But he's strong too! I don't really have anyone else I'd want to protect."

His dad laughs fondly behind him. Dr. Ueda smiles and nods. They turn their attention back to the screen. Takeshi tries not to notice the blue color concentrated around his head and heart.

* * *

Takeshi has never paid a lot of attention to Sawada Tsunayoshi. But considering the words he'd said a year ago in front of Hibari himself, he figures he should find something in himself to feel for the other boy.

Once summer's over, Takeshi will be handing in his application papers to the Disciplinary Committee. He'll be wearing the uniform. He'll wear the armband. He'll bear the duty.

(He'll have a baton to hit things with.)

(Takeshi should really be worried by how much he wants to hit things. But he plays baseball! Or he wants to. Hitting things is normal in baseball.)

(People are not baseballs.)

So Takeshi introduces himself to the Sawadas.

Sawada's mom promptly invites him in for refreshments and snacks. She leaves for work not long after (Takeshi didn't even know she worked!) and Takeshi finds himself in a predicament of being alone with Sawada Tsunayoshi and not really knowing what the hell to do with himself.

5 minutes of rather nice, stifling silence later...

"U-um..." Takeshi snaps to attention, prompting a strangled noise from Sawada. "Y-you don't have to do this, Yamamoto-san!"

That.. sounds like Sawada's talking about Takeshi's dad.

"Just Yamamoto's fine. Bit less of a mouthful, haha." The laugh is hollow, but humorous. "And what are you talking about? Do what? I'm not doing anything!"

Literally. It's summer, he should be playing ball or training or doing homework. But instead he's sitting with good ol' No Good Sawada Tsunayoshi. On Sawada's porch. In the sun.

Doing nothing.

"I-I know you're joining the Disciplinary Committee," Sawada says, but doesn't look up at Takeshi. "Hibari.. Hibari-san brings his patrols around my place a lot. Or.. wherever I am, actually. I don't know how he does it."

"You're a trouble-magnet and he has a trouble-radar?" Takeshi suggests.

"Yeah, probably." Sawada laughs a little. For a moment, Takeshi doesn't think this is so bad. "A-anyway, you don't have to force yourself to, um.. keep tabs on me."

"Tsuna, Tsuna, Tsuna... maybe I just want to hang out with you more!"

"You've never wanted to before," Sawada says in a tone so blunt that Takeshi almost expects him to fluster and apologize, because Takeshi has never seen Sawada be so.. _direct_. "K-Kyouko-san says you're friends with her brother, so we bump into each other sometimes, but I know you're.. not really...."

Sawada makes a gesture with his hands and tries to communicate what he means with this weird expression on his face.

Takeshi understands _entirely_.

"Yeah... Maybe I never thought about being your friend or hanging out with you before," Takeshi admits. His smile drops. If Sawada's going to be this honest, Takeshi might as well try do the same. "Maybe I don't even know if I wanna do that now. But I mean, I have nothing else to do! So, why not? Haha."

"I kinda like it," Sawada shrugs and falls onto his back on the porch. It's _so hot_ but they're sort of in the shade of the house, so it's kinda nice too. "Doing nothing. It's nice."

"Really?" Takeshi feels jittery. Muffled. He's never really been able to just do _nothing_. Exercise was good for him to make sure his bones didn't snap the next time he slid onto a base. His dad worked, and he helped sometimes when he wasn't doing homework. Doing _nothing_ is just...

...kinda nice.

Especially now that he can block out the worst of his sprains and back aches.

"..I feel kinda bored though."

"Mmm."

Takeshi looks over and finds the other boy half asleep already, eyes lidded and staring up at the sky. Takeshi considers it for a moment, then shrugs and mimics his pose, throwing himself down next to Sawada. He tucks his hands under his head and breathes out, letting his eye fall shut.

It really is nice.

But..

"..What're you thinking about, Tsuna?"

"Hmm?"

"I can hear you thinking."

"No you can't."

Takeshi laughs. "Maybe. But you are, aren't you?"

"I'm just... wondering what it'll be like. This year."

This school year. 4th grade. When everyone turns _10_ and everyone wants to join the Committee and everybody wants to be _somebody_.

"We're gonna turn 10."

"Yeah." Sawada shifts next to Takeshi. "..Are you going to take classes at the Defense Academy?"

"I.. don't think I can."

"Yeah. Me neither."

"Wimp."

Sawada makes a petulant sound, like a whining kid. Which, Takeshi supposes, he is. They are.

"I just don't want to come home any more beat up than usual. I get that enough. Though it's been a little better since onii-san joined the Committee..."

Onii-san, huh? Everyone's big brother. Takeshi lets the heat of the sun lull him off for a few minutes too.

"..My doctor won't let me go. I've got this thing- my bones are kinda thin? Or frail. Or.. brittle, I dunno. I've had it a while, but I get fractures and sprains easy. I think I dislocated my shoulder while pitching once."

"Oh my god, Yamamoto," Sawada _laughs_ , terrified but fluffy and breathless.

"Yeah! It was weird. Putting it back really hurt too. So, we're still working on getting me back to, um, okay. Normal? I dunno what's normal, really. _Healthy_ , I guess. I'm getting there, my hands and feet are a lot better, and I don't walk funny anymore. I practice with my dad in the meantime. He used to do kendo and sword stuff."

"That's... kinda cool." Sawada has rolled over now and has his chin propped up on his elbows. Takeshi rolls onto his side. Sawada stares at him for a few moments. "You know, I bet the first thing you try to hit after joining the Committee will break your arm."

"That's so rude, Tsuna. How can I protect you if I break my arm right off the bat?"

Sawada laughs _again_ and Takeshi doesn't know what's so funny. He's being serious here!

"..You really mean it?"

"Well, yeah. The Disciplinary Committee does not discriminate. We protect everyone against everything and everyone. Or we will, I guess. I will. I will!"

It's strange how easy it is to talk about this kind of thing with Sawada. Even though Takeshi barely knows him and hasn't spoken more than a few words to the other boy since their eyes first met across the playground in daycare. Everyone on the island has their own problems, so it's not hard to imagine that Sawada just.. doesn't mind. Doesn't care.

But, somehow, Takeshi thinks it's a little more than that. A little _more_. He just.. doesn't know what.

"Well, good. Because I can't throw a punch to save my life."

Takeshi laughs, too, because he doesn't know yet how _honest_ those words are.

* * *

He really does break his arm on the first thing he swings his baton at.

In his defense, the guy had Sawada cornered against a pillar and Takeshi had, of course, misjudged the distance, because his baton is not nearly the same as a baseball bat. He swung.

And smacked his arm into the pillar at just the right angle.

But he has two arms, so while the cocky 6th grader (why is it always the 6th graders?) laughs at his blunder and starts switching targets like a loon, Takeshi switches hands and takes a swing at his shoulder.

Unfortunately, Sawada also knocks him in the gut at the same time, so the upperclassman's head comes down to shoulder-height and falls to the ground like a rock when Takeshi accidentally beans him across the head.

They stand there looking down at the larger boy for a minute, Sawada- _Tsuna_ cradling his side and Takeshi holding his arm gingerly.

Tsuna looks up at him.

"Um... doesn't your arm kinda hurt? I mean- I-I kinda heard it.."

"Oh, yeah. My flames can dull any pain I feel for a bit. Haha, I should probably go to the nurse and get it checked out before I forget..."

"Oh my _God_ , Yamamoto."

* * *

Just a fracture. Takeshi laughs. Tsuna makes distressed sounds of the ‘small animal' variety, as Hibari dubs them.

* * *

Tsuna isn't as jumpy as Takeshi had thought he was. Or rather, he is, but only when really loud things happen? Or when Kyouko just kinda materializes out of thin air, which is completely understandable. Takeshi's glad that Kyouko avoids showing up in his blind spot. He'd hate to bean her over the head by accident.

(Surprisingly, Takeshi's urge and desire to hit things with his newly acquired baton drastically plummeted after actually acquiring said baton. Just having it around makes him feel kinda safe. And makes him wish he could carry his baseball bat around, too. Maybe once he's tall enough to hold a proper sized bat.)

As it is, Tsuna still squawks whenever Kyouko shows up in the way that she does. Takeshi's not as glad about them not being in the same grade anymore. She's not so bad.

"You better be careful, Takeshi-kun," she tells him after school one day. Tsuna's still packing up inside and Takeshi has to wait outside because Committee members have to oversee students leaving the classroom. Takeshi actually doesn't do a whole lot for his first year, but he can do this much. "Tsuna's very delicate."

"Delicate? He punched Shinobu-senpai in the gut last week."

Kyouko squints at him through her smile and insists, "He's _veeeeery_ delicate. Wouldn't throw a punch to save his life."

"I don't think that's a nice thing to say about a guy, Kyouko," Takeshi hums as students file past. "Especially a guy like Tsuna."

Okay, maybe she is kinda that bad. It's easy to forget.

" _Especially_ someone like Tsuna." Kyouko gives him a pat on the back. "And if you're going to ask him to feed you while your arm heals, at least do it in the Committee room. Or the nurse's office."

"Why?"

She gives him a pointed look of exasperation. "I'll see you tomorrow, Takeshi-kun."

And heads off to find her brother. Or to her own club. Student council, right? Right. Student council in primary school?

Well. It's Kakishima.

A clatter pulls his attention back to the class room. Tsuna's pencil case is on the ground, its contents scattered under the desks.

 _He's delicate_ , Kyouko says. Takeshi knows he isn't.

But maybe their situation is?

"No loitering in the classroom after school hours," he says loudly, fingers stroking along the handle of his baton. "If you have something to talk about, take it outside."

"Yeah, No Good Tsuna. Get up." One of the boys yanks Tsuna up by his elbow. "Let's take this outside."

"I _said_ ," Takeshi repeats, tapping the head of his baton loudly on the table nearest them. When did he even move? "If you have something to _talk about_ , you can _go outside_."

"Th-that's what we're doing, choukai-san! Come _on_ , No Good-"

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Takeshi is Not Smiling. Well, he is. But it's that kind of Smile that's cold and filled with his calming flames, except they don't calm so much as _chill_. " _If you have something to talk about_. According to the Namimori Disciplinary Committee School Rulebook, _harassment_ is not considered a conversation."

"W-we're not.."

"Neither is accosting. Or bullying. Or _bothering_." Takeshi pulls out an index card Hibari had prepared just for him and Sawada and starts rattling off a list of synonyms (with accompanying furigana, because damn if Takeshi can remember how to read all of these in kanji like Hibari can, the savant) that leaves his classmates' heads spinning. He finishes with a flourish and puts the card away in a fancy fashion. "Got it?"

They nod mutely. Takeshi grins with a little too much teeth.

"Good. _Go outside_."

They scatter.

"..You too, Tsuna." Takeshi's grin goes sheepish once their classmates are out of earshot. "No favorites. Or I'll have to break my other arm over your head."

"..Yeah." Tsuna gives an absent nod, looking a little... something.

Satisfied, Takeshi slips the baton back into his holder and takes his place at the doorway again, scanning the halls for any more loiterers or sounds of loitering. Hibari's good at teaching what kind of sounds to look out for, and Takeshi's nothing if not observant. Herbivorous grouping noises. Like- ah, chattering! Down that way.

"Five minutes, Tsuna!"

He slides the door shut and he sets off. Five minutes.

It's a trio of girls trying to gossip about something or other. Takeshi resists the urge to loiter himself and eavesdrop. All it takes is a flashing smile and genial posturing to convince them to go before someone higher up on the Disciplinary Committee food chain finds them. Like Hibari.

Takeshi makes one last round through the halls before stopping off at his and Tsuna's classroom again. It's quiet now, everyone having emptied out into either club rooms or on their way home.

He pulls open the door a little to peek in but doesn't see Tsuna or his bag at his desk anymore. Probably left for club activities already?

...What club is Tsuna in, anyway? Takeshi keeps forgetting to ask.

Just as he starts sliding it shut again though, he hears a sound. One of those _herbivorous loitering noises_ that Hibari talks about in his lectures that the other members seem to just disparage and ignore, but Takeshi soaked it up with rapt glee.

He turns his head a little more, having forgotten about his blind spot, and sees two boys trying to shove Tsuna out the open window. _Trying_ being the key word, because Tsuna is, again, about the size of a mouse and just as deadly.

Like, very deadly.

As in, nails dipped in red and bloody streaks on his assailant's arms sort of deadly.

The only reason it's so silent is probably because there's two of them and one has something shoved over Sawada's mouth and nose. Not chloroform-- it's been long enough that Sawada would have stopped putting up a fight if it were, and Takeshi remembers also that they are _still in primary school_.

Tsuna's eyes meet his. He sees terror, and relief. Someone hisses " _Hurry and drop him already!_ " from outside the window.

Takeshi is in and out before he can even blink. Quick, precise smacks against the back of their heads- about the only thing Takeshi can reach since they're not facing him, and they're out for the count, and Tsuna drops with them. It's _damn hard_ not to swing like he's aiming for a home run in the Koushien.

There's blood prints left on the window panes and window sill where Tsuna had been shoving against to keep from being shoved _out_. Takeshi firmly nudges him out of the way so he can stick his head out the window.

"SHINOBU MORI," he says, very loudly, after pinpointing the identity of the individual waiting under their classroom window, "STAY WHERE YOU ARE. YOU HAVE BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF CROWDING AND ATTEMPTING TO HARM- ah, there he goes."

Sighing, Takeshi takes out his radio and switches to a general channel. "This is Yamamoto Takeshi, 4th year. All members, please be on the lookout for 6th year Shinobu Mori. He is fleeing the scene after infraction of the school code without facing disciplinary action."

" _Go after him._ "

"I'm, um, on the second floor," Takeshi attempts to clarify to whomever is on the other line. "He's heading for the school gates."

" _Jump! Hibari-san does it all the time._ "

And break his legs? Nuh-uh. It's only the second floor but Takeshi has, again, bones made of dust. Slightly harder dust by now, but still dust.

"He and... some of my classmates are guilty of crowding and harassment of another classmate. I am currently, um, consoling him."

A sigh comes over the radio, barely masked by a rapid _tap tap tap_ coming from behind the blackboard.

" _What did they do?_ "

"I just stopped them from throwing him out the windo—"

Ah, the joys of being in the Disciplinary Committee. Tsuna seems to have recovered from his ordeal quickly enough, though he's still trembling a little and his eyes are wide, and is poking his head over the window sill to see what Takeshi's looking at.

He's just in time to witness Committee Chairman Hibari Kyouya _leap out of the second story window_ one room over. The _gakuran_ around his shoulders flutters behind him, flapping almost, like the widespread wings of a—

" _Hey, what's going on? Hey! Yamamoto!_ "

" _Yatagarasu_ [4]..." Sawada murmurs in awe. Takeshi makes a noise of agreement and mutters a _never mind, Hibari-san's here_ into his radio before putting it down.

Hibari Kyouya. Yatagarasu. Descending from heaven to mete out glorious justice on the deserving.

"..Did Hibari-san swap out his baton for _tonfas_?"

"Oh, yeah. Didn't you notice, Tsuna? He was showing them off at the entrance ceremony."

"I thought he was just juggling two of them... Is it still Yatagarasu if he has 4 legs now instead of 3?" [5]

Takeshi.. laughs. He has no idea.

* * *

* * *

Tsuyoshi is seeing his last customer out the door when Takeshi comes home. It's pretty late, even for having club activities. The Disciplinary Committee must have a lot more stuff to do than baseball does.

He expects his boy to be hungry and demanding leftover sushi or some other foreign-named food that Tsuyoshi can't pronounce for the life of him. He expects the smell of sweat and exercise, dirt on Takeshi's hands and clothes, even though he must have changed into a uniform.

He doesn't expect Takeshi to (re?)introduce him to his newest(?) friend by saying, "This is my dad. I think he used to be an assassin."

Tsuyoshi chokes on air. How did Takeshi even _know that_?

"Oh," the smaller boy says with wide eyes. He looks like the Sawada's kid. Probably. "..I think my dad's in the mafia."

Tsuyoshi makes concerned noises and just steps aside to let them in.

"Who told you about what I used to do, Takeshi?"

"I guessed! I mean, you have a really sharp sword and everything."

Ugh.

"..Do you want anything for dinner?"

"Oh, we ate at _maman_ 's. She made stuffed squid."

"Nana's?" Alright. Not bad. Nana at least is pretty traditional about Japanese food. _Ikameshi_ isn't bad. "Good. Because all I have left is fish, fish, and- oh, look at that. More fish."

The Sawada boy giggles.

"Is this the Sawada Tsunayoshi I've been hearing so much about?" The giggling turns into a surprised squeak. "I thought you said he wasn't a friend, Takeshi?"

"Oh. Um, yeah. He wasn't." Takeshi grins and rubs at the back of his neck. "That was, like, 4 years ago, dad. But he is now!"

"Oh?"

"We are?"

Tsuyoshi raises an eyebrow at the Sawada boy, who just shares his look.

"Yeah! We beat up some thugs and I stopped our classmates from throwing him out a window. We're friends now."

Tsuyoshi chokes. Sawada Tsunayoshi gives him a look of mild but resigned terror.

"He's staying the night too. Is that okay? Tsuna's mom is down at the research facility tonight and I didn't want him to be alone so I invited him over. Can he sleep over? We brought-"

"Please tell me you two did not drag a futon all the way here from his house."

Tsunayoshi whimpers. Takeshi laughs.

"No, we brought our homework!"

Tsuyoshi is so relieved.

"Oh, we should buy some Calpis on the way to school tomorrow."

"..We have regular milk in the fridge, Takeshi."

"It's not for me. It's an offering. Of gratitude." His son beams, but in a way that is far too serious for his own age. Or his own good. "For the Yatagarasu."

One look at Sawada Tsunayoshi tells him that yes, his son is being completely honest and serious.

"Hibari-san bit someone to death for trying to push me out a window."

Ah. "And this is the same Hibari-san who..."

"Is Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. My boss!"

"Oh." Tsuyoshi feels himself going on autopilot. This hasn't happened in a long, long time. Not since Takeshi first came home one day saying his arm hurt from falling off a swing and they found out he had actually managed to fracture it. Or when Yayoi came by to tell him she was pregnant. "...Do you want some extra lunch money then?"

"Thanks, dad, but I think we can handle it."

"Okay. Did you bring spare clothes, Sawada-kun? Yes? You two can shower before you head to bed. Or work on homework."

"Just Tsuna is fine, Yamamoto-san. Thanks!"

For..?

As though reading his mind (or maybe just the confused look on his face), Takeshi adds, "For letting him stay over, dad. Thanks!"

Tsuyoshi nods absently and calls out ‘ _don't have too much fun_ ' as they kick off their shoes and run up the stairs. He.. has never seen his son so lively. Not just energetic and active but _alive_.

He never noticed it before, but comparing the Takeshi of 3, even 2 years ago, compared to today's... he seemed to be just going through the motions. Tsuyoshi never knew what to do about it. Yayoi said _he's growing up. Let him grow up and figure out who he is, Tsuyoshi, before you start picking at what makes our son who he is._

Sometimes he's not sure if he made the right decision, not being more affectionate, more caring, more.. . _loving_. He did all he could to support, but- he's an assassin. He was an assassin. He killed for a living and killed his heart to do it.

This boy is his heart now, he realizes. He'll have to protect it like he couldn't protect his own.

For now, he's glad that Takeshi has found a friend. A _real_ friend.

* * *

_He is glad. He is really, really, really so so soglad, soGLAD and so thankful and so relieved that Sawada Tsunayoshi chose his son for a friend, he's so grateful_

_because 10 years old is too young for any child to die._

  
[1] odachi: including the handle, the average odachi is about 65-70 inches long. takeshi is probably like, 43 inches right now.  
[2] bibimbap: a korean dish that lit. means 'mixed rice'. also known as 'colorful korean-style mixed rice' when spoken of within the yamamoto household.  
[3] yakudoshi: a set of ‘unlucky ages’, commonly held in belief in japan. in buddhist teachings, the first two yakudoshi ages are 7 and 13.  
[4] Yatagarasu: a three-legged crow in japanese folklore. according to wiki, “the appearance of the great bird is construed as evidence of the will of Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs.” hibari 'living breathing divine omen' kyouya.  
[5] tsuna is comparing the baton being a third leg to the tonfas being third and fourth leg. unfortunately 'yatagarasu' doesn't refer to 3 legs at all but 'eight (wing) span crow'  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tsuna has craazy scary intuition powers and look, plot!
> 
> kyouko is Good With Emotions and perceptive and her ability to sniff out bullshit frankly freaks takeshi out, because takeshi is like made of bullshit.


	5. TSUNAYOSHI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: no..thing really? unless I'm supposed to post warnings for mentions of hygiene of the female variety. young love, probably. hints of yamamoto/tsuna, but mostly a lot of bromance friendships.
> 
> kyouya's adopted parents were supposed to go in a different direction but then i started writing them and I love them just the way they are.

* * *

**NANA;** she has a mother's intuition and she listens to it.

* * *

Once Tsuna was old enough to, Nana allowed herself to find something to do with herself while her son was at school. She has always enjoyed cooking, and while she _did_ eventually finish her degree in Nutritional Sciences (even if only as a cover for the outside world), she is far from a 5 star chef.

That doesn't stop her from teaching cooking classes. Her audience ranges from children in daycare to older folks, bachelors and bachelorettes, the recently divorced or widowed who didn't want to turn to a life of eating out and coming home to drink.

Her schedule is flexible. She only teaches while Tsuna is at school, and he doesn't usually come home in the middle of the day. Nana likes keeping busy, but she also wants to _be there_ for her son the way her husband _can't_.

Or, she supposes, _won't_.

There's a longer and longer pause between their calls. Longer silences in their talks. Fewer and fewer things that Nana wants to tell Iemitsu about their son. It's tiring, sometimes. She doesn't mind if he were only gone for a year, 2 years. 3 years. Like in the beginning, it was easy, thinking he would be back soon, and that she could stop relaying every single thing Tsuna had done for his father to coo and swoon over.

Their son is not something to fawn over from afar. Their son is not something she can just _talk about_ and be satisfied with. Oh, maybe someone else's son, maybe _another_ son, if they had another son, another child. But Tsuna... _Tsuna_.

Nana remembers when she would come home from work and find her boy curled up on the sofa with an icepack pressed against his ribcage. Everything is bandaged and wrapped neat and tidy, but the fact that he is _home_ and _hurting_ and didn't call because he didn't want to _bother her at work_ , that's not the sort of thing she can convey to Iemitsu in 5 minutes across 15-odd countries and two and a half seas.

Nor the fact that Tsuna seems to get more bruises than her bananas do. Breaks his ribs more often than she breaks her nails (which, really, is almost never, because she keeps them all decently clipped). Or any other myriad of things.

How can she tell Iemitsu the story of how Tsuna accidentally befriended a girl in the year ahead of him? And her brother as well? How can she tell him the way Tsuna managed to catch the attention of the precinct's Disciplinary Committee Chairman, who takes it upon himself to walk Tsuna home whenever possible?

How can she explain that Kokuyo Leader has put a roadblock on the sort of things she can talk to him about?

(If Iemitsu learns that Tsunayoshi is doing _well_ , he will take Tsunayoshi away. Don't tell him anything, Nana. Nothing at all. Nothing about how he's making friends, nothing about how he's improving, nothing about him _getting better_. They will want Tsunayoshi for something, one day; make him as _unappealing_ as possible.)

How can she tell him that she had to reassure Tsuna about why she was saying all these things about him on the phone? How close she was to tears just thinking about it, that she didn't really mean any of it?

(But now they make a game of it. Her son seems to understand, seems to find it _fun_. He still says _otou-san_ reverently, with respect and formality, but in the sense of _tell otou-san I still can't punch my way out of a wet paper bag_ while laughing. _I wouldn't hurt a fly. Well, not on purpose, anyway_.)

It's been years. Iemitsu used to visit once every year, maybe every 2 years. It's been 3 years now since the last. Tsuna has made a friend. A friend! And from what she's seen in the mornings and after school, he's made _two others_ that are usually too busy with club activities to really stay longer than a few minutes. They pick him up on their morning jog, they drop him off on their evening patrols. A brother and sister pair. Inseparable.

Yamamoto Takeshi is the only one who seems to be able to stick around for a while. Possibly because he's a new member of the Committee? Nana hears he has a few physical setbacks, too, what with his constantly being swathed in bandages and that eyepatch of his. But the boy never seems dismayed by his state. Not like Tsuna is about his own.

Nana is never more glad to have Sun flames. Though that's probably why Tsuna doesn't like getting hurt. It's not good to use them all the time, and not good to be healed by them that much, either.

Unfortunately, Nana only has emergency first aid training with her flames. She'll close any cuts he has, check for infections, soothe any bruises, but fractures and sprains she has to leave for the clinic to handle. She learned that the hard way, even though she just wanted to _help her son stop hurting_...

She wonders if he keeps mentioning that fact that he can't throw a punch to save his life just to spite her.

Then they go shopping and Tsuna comes to the cart with a packet of menstrual pads she'd sent him off to fetch, looking nervous and jittery, but with a smile that never fades around her, and she's sure. She's okay. _They're_ okay.

* * *

Tsuna comes home one day with Tsuyoshi's boy. He says it's a side stitch from running, but from the way Tsuna's hunched over it and the way the other boy is hovering over him, Nana knows.

Her son wouldn't throw a fist to save his own life. But would do that and _so much more_ to save someone else's.

* * *

**KYOUYA;** he holds omens in his hands.

* * *

Next year is an unlucky year, and it makes Kyouya..

Well. He's not sure what to feel about it. _Luck_ isn't really something he understands. Good fortune, bad fortune. Coincidence. Cause? Correlation.

Kyouya will count it as a good year. If only because it's one year closer to when he turns 15.

"You seem.. pleased today, Kyouya."

He raises his eyes, respectful in a way he never was with his own parents. His real parents?

Parentage. Lineage. Something else to consider.

Hibari Claude and Hibari Vivien sit across from him in the same perfect _seiza_ position, equally straight and poised, down to the breadth between their knees.[1] Of the two, only Vivien has a trace of Japanese features.

"..I will be 15 soon. That is all," Kyouya says simply, addressing Claude who had spoken first.

"3 more years, isn't it?" Vivien hums from over a steaming cup of tea.

"Yes." Kyouya sips his own.

"Do we finally get to hear you call us _mom_ and _dad_?"

"I don't know. Will you be my _okaa-san_ , Claude-san?"

The man chokes on his drink. Vivien laughs throatily next to him.

"Well, the boy certainly knows _his_ father."

" _Vivien_!" Claude hisses, then breaks off into rapid fire French that Kyouya can barely keep apace of. Vivien responds in kind, low and lilting and amused.

There is no animosity between them. Kyouya likes it.

"--Oh, look at that. _Il sourit_!" [2]

Kyouya immediately stops smiling.

"You ruined it, Vivien," Claude sighs, lowering the phone he had just been holding up.

"Taking embarrassing baby pictures already?"

"He isn't a baby. And they're not embarrassing photos. It's for the photo album."

Kyouya blinks. "..Photo album?"

"The one we're going to make once the adoption is finalized," Claude says proudly. "You're the first one we've adopted, after all."

"We should celebrate on that day," Vivien says musingly.

"Why?"

"That's what people do on happy occasions." Then Vivien peers closely at him, leaning forward slightly without breaking _seiza_. "..You _are_ happy about this, right? You're sure you want to do this, Kyouya?"

Is he?

"There's still time if you want to go back. Dr. Ueda tells us you've been making a lot of progress... Your father is set to inherit his family's company and you would be next in line. It's not a terrible thing to return to."

Something to return to. He compares it to the prospect of remaining here, on the island, of discarding the Shiratori name and line and taking up the mantle of _Hibari_ instead. Would it make him happy?

He taps his finger against the side of his cup. Tries to think of what a _happy_ emotion entails.

Supposes it must be something that makes him ‘smile', like watching his adoptive parents bicker playfully. Like having his favorite food for dinner, or seeing that Yamamoto Takeshi has indeed upheld his promise to ferociously guard Kyouya's stash of Calpis (or at least, replace it before Kyouya notices it's gone).

Like being able to approach Sawada Tsunayoshi without the boy running off on him or interrupting whatever Kyouya has to say.

Things that make him 'unhappy', then: crowding—

"Yes," Kyouya says through a scowl. "I am sure. I am happy with this."

Hibari Claude, the current head of the Hibari Estate, looks bewildered.

Hibari Vivien, his second-in-command, _laughs_.

* * *

"You can come out now, Tetsuya. They've left."

Kyouya's own second-in-command edges out of his room looking like he's seen a ghost. Or two ghosts. Or heard them.

"..Kyouya-san? Who, um. Was that..?"

"Hibari Lưu Thành Claude and Hibari Vivien. My legal guardians and soon to be adopted parents."

"Ah." Tetsuya shivers. "...wasn't that-"

"Hibari Leader. Yes."

" _You never told me you were adopted by Hibari Leader and his-_ Who is Vivien?"

"His second-in-command."

"His _second-in-comma-_ they're not married? And they still adopted you? Can they even do that?"

Kyouya gives Tetsuya a very long suffering look. "No, they're not married, Tetsuya. Yes they did, or they will. Yes they can."

Tetsuya proceeds to have a bit of a panic attack. What Kyouya thinks is a panic attack, anyway. Probably not. Maybe he's just.. _freaking out_. That would be a first. Tetsuya never freaks out about anything.

"No one told me I was taking care of Hibari Leader's _adopted son_ ," Tetsuya says in a pitch too high and whining.

"Don't be stupid, Tetsuya," Kyouya says with an urge to roll his eyes. He takes the older boy's hand in his and drags him over to the living room couch. "I take care of you too."

"I greeted them at the door and _they looked at me like they'd slaughter me if I let you get hurt._ "

"Probably."

Tetsuya makes another dying herbivore sound. Kyouya drops a crane-stitched throw pillow in his lap with his free hand and pulls one into his own. He draws his knees up and uses the remote control to tune into the nature channel.

* * *

A few weeks later, there are whispers in the office. Kyouya hears them but can't make heads or tails of the gossip and accusations. He turns to Tetsuya instead and silently demands an explanation.

"..Uh, Kyouya-san. Well. How do I say this..." Tetsuya looks up at the ceiling. If Kyouya were anyone else, he would think it an action like beseeching the heavens to present him with an answer to all the problems in the world.

Unfortunately, Kyouya has all the creative imagination of a brick and just thinks Tetsuya might have heard something from the roof.

"..You're being very pleasant today, Kyouya-san." Kyouya feels his brows furrowing in confusion and skepticism. Tetsuya continues. "You said good morning when you walked in."

"I did?" Weird. Kyouya's usually more focused than this.

"Did something good happen, Chairman?" one of the members says in a stage-whisper behind her desk.

Kyouya thinks. He nods.

"..Yes. My birth parents signed the adoptions papers, I received them in the mail yesterday. I will officially join the Hibari Main Family when I am 15."

He looks so damn proud. He assumes he does. He _feels_ proud, anyway. Kyouya is almost 12 and he is _proud_ to be joining one of the largest households on the island.

"Also, I have a little sister and brother. They are coming to my next visitation day."

Kyouya goes into his office like a weirdly giddy sadist and leaves Tetsuya to deal with the rising clamor of questions by himself.

* * *

Kyouya sits down at his desk, ready to start on both his homework and remaining paperwork from last night. He should be done before lunch. Then he has patrols and will escort Tetsuya to the junior high school to check in with attendance again and pick up his workbooks for the day before they return to the primary school building.

(He had Not Been Happy to hear that Tetsuya had to attend the junior high school building when he graduated from the 6th grade, but it's mostly okay now. They managed to work something out.)

Tetsuya will probably work on his homework then. Kyouya will do some more patrols, answer some distress calls, and then help Tetsuya with his homework. They'll decide on dinner later.

With the day more or less planned out, Kyouya starts going through the papers.

What catches his attention first is a packet with the words ‘URGENT' scrawled in bright red, sitting innocuously on his desk. It's not the standard Committee parcel form.

Kyouya dumps out the contents and sifts through a handful of photos of some foreign individuals prowling the docks near Gendo-cho, along with a hand-rendered close up of a man and a woman in suits.

He frowns and reaches for his radio to call up the Senior Division of the Committee.

"This is Hibari Kyouya, Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee. I am forwarding an anonymous tip regarding suspicious person within the next hour. Get me everything you can on them and send it back as soon as possible. In the meantime, I would like to request an increase in patrols and security near the Namimori / Gendo-cho border until further notice."

He pauses. It's likely they'll find out why once the files are faxed over, but he wants them on it ASAP, so he flips down the attached note.

"We've reason to believe that these persons are Italian."

There are no Italians on Kakishima, after all.

Only Sawadas.

* * *

**NAGI;** two minds are better than one.

* * *

Nagi is adding dark blue shadows to a grassy meadow when Jeong-Seo Kaede's polished boots step into view. She looks up.

"I'm sorry, Nagi-kun." Jeong-Seo shakes her head, a tinge of sadness on her lips.

"It's okay, Kokuyo Leader. I knew they were busy." _I just thought they could make a bit of an exception to see me for the first time in the year I've been here._

It goes unsaid. She stops her mind from giving them excuses.

"Vongola has been busy," Jeong-Seo says by way of explanation. More work for father. Less time to spend in Japan. Apparently he comes home even less now that Nagi is (safe) on the island. "And Emi... seems to be getting more popular." [3]

"She has less worries," Nagi supposes. She thinks she would feel the same, if she had an accidental daughter who is now safely out of sight and out of mind. It's okay.

Her family here is better.

* * *

The first thing Nagi notices on her first day of _school_ is that everyone is.. kind of like her. Not exactly- not really? She's not sure how to explain it, what to think of it. Some of them _are_ like her; a little shy, a little distant.

There's a boy in particular who gets stomachaches whenever he's really nervous. It makes Nagi laugh a little. They find themselves huddled together during lunch despite the coaxing of their classmates.

Irie Shouichi likes music. His parents enrolled him in Kokuyo Primary School of the Arts for that very reason, even though it's on the other side of the island from where they live. He stays in the communal housing in the meantime and calls them daily. Which is fine, apparently? Because he's pretty sure they wouldn't like to see him learning _music_ when he could be doing something better. Something more productive.

But he likes it. He likes to play music, he wants to _learn_ music.

She lets slip that she sort of has synesthesia (or at least, the other boy whose mind she's kind of linked to? does?) and he becomes extremely invested in ‘studying the existence of transcontinental mental connectivity as well as their effects on neurological phenomenons'. They're very big words. She is eager to participate.

The other boy is not, but she tells him to hush.

He plays a few tunes on the sized-down guitar in the music room and she tells him what she thinks. Or, rather, she describes what the boy on the other end of her mental telephone line thinks of them.

She says yellow. Just yellow. A warm, glowing.. glow. The kind that wraps around you and keeps you safe, the kind that one can rely on to always be okay. He flushes, embarrassed.

 _Sickly_ , she doesn't say. The thought lingers in the back of her mind. Or the other boy's. _A sickly yellow._

* * *

Nagi wonders if she'll ever meet the other boy. The one whose colors invade her world, whose mist is cloying but tender, as false and uncertain as the color it evokes.

She'd like to hold him and tell him _it's okay, it's okay, you're safe here, no one will hurt you anymore_.

* * *

In their last year of primary school, Shouichi announces that he's going back home to attend Yumei Private in Namimori.

Nagi, being from the Outside, has no idea what that means. Except that it's famous, apparently. Not to mention completely at odds with what Shouichi had wanted when they first spoke two years ago. Yumei Private is... technical. Technological. Mechanical, not.. artistic.

"My mom says it's just an indulgence," he says one day at lunch. Nagi made their bentos today. She's gotten better at it, too. "Maybe I could get somewhere with music, but the industry's kind of.. a-and especially on the Mainland..."

That's another thing she learned on the island. Apparently the island is.. well, the _Island_. They're not really part of Japan. Except they are? It's confusing, but she just rolls with it. So long as she passes history class. They are the Island and the rest of Japan is the Mainland. Eventually she'll be considered an Islander too, once she's been here long enough. An islander.

"You could be a musician here on the Island," she suggests. Why not?

Shouichi tells her why not.

"There's no _future_ in being a musician on the island, Nagi. We're not... well, I mean I could be an entertainer for the Kokuyo Collective.[4] But I don't know, that's not really have I have in mind?" Shouichi shrugs and wraps arms around his stomach again. "I don't know. Sometimes I just.. I don't know if I want to make music or perform or if I just want an excuse to have 12 guitars and a drum set and a Stradivarius."

"You have a Stradivarius?"

"I'm, um, trying to reproduce one." Shouichi fidgets. "A-anyway! Um... are you going to keep doing art, Nagi?"

"...I'm not sure. I like drawing, but.. it like you said, I guess. Or what your mother says. It's an indulgence. I'll keep it as a hobby, probably." Nagi takes a moment to make headway into her meal before lunch is over. "I'll probably join the Travel and Tourism Agency after middle school. Jeong-Seo-san says I have promise."

"Even though you blush like a maiden and have the emotional capacity of a rock?" Nagi smacks him up the head. Gently. "Ow."

"Make _onigiri_ tomorrow," she demands, chewing. "I want pickled chicken and ham. Not pickled ham. Just pickled chicken."

"I can't make pickled chicken in just a day!"

"Then, _umeboshi_." [5]

" _Umeboshi_? With chicken?!"

The other boy decides to quip in.

"And... chocolate."

"Nagi, that's- no, that's blasphemy, I could _never_ — ...I'll figure something out."

Shouichi's not that good at cooking. But he has the technical side down pat and the entire contents of the communal housing kitchen at his disposal. Nagi can be sure that everything will be properly cooked at least, and also not loaded with grease.

Once home, she dips sour grapes in chocolate and labels the bag and sets them in the fridge for tomorrow. Just in case.

* * *

She graduates. So does Shouichi. They exchange phone numbers and e-mails using the phones that Shouichi's family gifts them.

(Because they heard that Nagi's family is on the mainland and didn'tcouldn'tWOULDN'T come to her graduation ceremony and also Shouichi has a friend! Who is a girl! Akiko's nerdy little brother has a FRIEND that's a GIRL.)

(Nagi met Akiko once before, last year, at their 5th year graduation. She made a fuss about Nagi wearing a _hakama_ over a _kimono_ because she's from the Mainland and is apparently more for 'Japanese tradition' and trends than most on the Island are. No one's even really 'Japanese' here? Not really? It's so weird. Shouichi says his hair color is natural.)

Nagi wears a hakama over a kimono again; a different one, rented, because she is something of a traditionalist but has no real reason to wear tradition on an island that seems to have its own culture. She got a few looks from it last year, but this year there's a few girls who are doing the same. Amidst the sea of students wearing the dull olive of Kokuyo Primary School of the Arts uniforms, they are colorful, like butterflies. They attract attention.

Some of them wear more purple than necessary and Nagi reminds herself that not everyone thinks it's a lonely color.

"N-Nagi! U-um, I- wait Nagi come back I need to talk to you—"

Nagi stops halfway through trying to avoid Shouichi (and consequently Shouichi's sister who will probably try to either a) fawn over Nagi's choice in clothing, b) scrunch her nose at it, because the colors are weird to anyone else, or c) try to fix Nagi's frizzy hair that doesn't like to stay flat unless she dumps styling gel on it) and turns around.

After hearing that more than a few people were going to be wearing more than the usual school uniform to graduation (and probably not wanting to let Nagi go through those whispers alone again; her face had been _so red_ , how was she supposed to know it was this different here? But she's okay now), Shouichi had decided to throw on a loose hakama as well. His taste in colors is less eccentric than Nagi's, but not as sophisticated as their peers. Black and white goes good with any occasion though.

Except for Nagi. Nagi's occasion. Everything atom of Nagi's being despises black. (Or, rather, the other boy despises black. Darkness. Shadows. Suits. The color of shining metal guns.)

She bites the inside of her cheek and smiles though, pinking when she sees Akiko in the distance and hears her gasping _oh my god look at her clothes she did it again_ to Shouichi's mother.

"Shouichi?" They stopped using honorifics last year. It's never felt more _comfortable_ , for Nagi.

Maybe that's just because the other boy wouldn't know what honorifics were even if they smacked him in the face.

Shouichi holds out a button. Nagi stares at it.

"U-um, I heard that on the.. on the Mainland- actually, I think a few school districts here do it too, but Kokuyo never- and Namimori doesn't... a-anyway! Um. It's the.. second button on my uniform? S-since I won't be needing the uniform anymore.. and buttons are easy to replace. A-and, it's supposed to be.. the closest to my heart? N-not in that way!" Nagi thinks Shouichi is going to turn purple if his face gets any redder. That would be bad. Shouichi should never be purple. "B-but we pr-probably won't be seeing each other anymore, a-and I.. IthinkI'llmissyou and I just want you to have this so you won't miss me too much- o-oh but we have phones now so I guess we can still.. talk.... um."

He trails off with a squeak and Nagi feels like she's older. She is, actually, come to think about it. The woes of being born in December.[6] Shouichi's face is scrunched and pained and he looks ready to cry. Nagi's heart hurts.

She reaches out and takes the button with a watery smile that's as shy as she has ever been in her life and a tightness in her throat. Some people are whispering, but Shouichi is a nerd and a fool and Nagi is the weird Outsider so no one really pays them much attention beyond the initial wave of chuckles at Shouichi's outburst.

"..Thank you, Shouichi. I think you miss my food more than you miss me, though."

Shouichi bursts into tears. Nagi pats him on the shoulder with her other hand.

"Also, I don't really care much for the buttons tradition."

Shouichi wails in frustration. He probably spent all night agonizing over this decision, fool that he is.

It's sweet, though. She kisses him on the cheek.

The other boy cackles and gives her an unseen thumbs up.

* * *

She goes home. Spends the summer moving into the communal housing for potential RKD agents. She passed the test with flying colors at the beginning of the year, and is practically a shoe-in for a scholarship (a very strange sort of scholarship, but then everything on the Island is strange).

Shouichi's things are stuffed into a rental car and they drive off a week after graduation. Shouichi is still kind of teary, and when Nagi shows him his button on a chain necklace, he makes a strangled crying sound again. Akiko teases him about it. _Your girlfriend is so mature, Shou-chan._ To which Shouichi rebuts _shEISNOTMYGIRLFRIEND u-unless she wants to be, um, Nagi? Nagi?!_

Nagi just waves while Akiko drags Shouichi into the car. She makes a phone sign with her hand, thumb and pinkie extended to her ear and chin. _Send me an email later or I will text you all night_ , it threatens.

She goes home again. Her new home. She has a roommate now, supposedly, but they won't be arriving for another week. School starts at Kokuyo Junior Academy of the Arts the week after.

Nagi looks at the few boxes that still need to be unpacked, some that still need to be donated because she has to leave room for her roommate, looks at the other bed in the corner that's going to have a person in it next week that she'll have to live with for the next three years probably, looks at the button in her hand that swings so dangerously close to her heart.

Her heart.

It crumples and she cries.

She cries long and hard, sniffles falling with her tears, pittering and pattering softly onto her hands. It's like opening the floodgates and sob after sob gasps their way out from where she had locked them in her chest, bound them to the beat of her heart for _later, later, not now, not now._

She cries because for a brief moment in time, she had a family and friends and classmates. She had a life, a routine, she had teachers who didn't take her sketchbooks away and who would let her skip class if she was feeling particularly unwilling to leave her room or if the other boy was suffering and she didn't want to leave him alone. She had something. Something all her own.

Now she has no family nearby, no friends, none of her classmates are attending the Academy and _good riddance_ because they were rude and annoying anyway but they were _familiar_ , they were something after the nothing, they were something she could _ground herself in_ after being uprooted.

For a moment, the sun is setting, the clouds are violet, her room is filled with a shade of orange that she neither feels nor understands, and she is _alone_.

She is alone.

 _No_ , says the other boy. _No, you're not alone. I'm here. Didn't you tell me that? It's okay._

The words are familiar and she keens into the heel of her palms to the beat of her pulse, rapid and fluttering.

_It's okay. I'm here. No one will hurt you. We have each other._

Their connection has been weakening a little. She doesn't see the images anymore, the blood and the bodies. The memories. Every now and then her dreams are swarming with colors and feelings and strangers. She wonders if the other boy dreams about her life too, or if hers is too mundane and tame.

She wonders what life is like on the other side of the globe.

" _Not very different_ ," Nagi's body says in a weak, wavering voice that is not her own (a little deeper, a little harsher), but she is not afraid. The color of her right eye flickers, unnoticed. " _It's just as lonely._ "

 _But we have each other_ , she muses, and sniffles as she nestles with the other boy in a corner of her mind.

* * *

A week later she finds herself in need of some emergency hygiene supplies, the kind that was mentioned in school her first year here and that the communal housing matron would often go around supplying, and says ‘UGH' into her pillow.

The other boy kind of wants to ask but she tells him he probably doesn't want to know. It's a Girl Thing.

 

She tells him anyway, and spends that week moaning and groaning until he screeches at her.

* * *

Kokuyo Junior Academy for the Arts is even more ruthless and cunning than its primary school counterpart.

Nagi learns about the time difference between Japan and Italy and realizes the reason why she dreams what she does is probably because the other boy is still awake then. Maybe the reverse happens for him?

What kind of life is he living, anyway?

(..Is he even still alive?)

(A muffled, sleepy grunt in her head says that, yes, he is alive. Probably.)

(Another grunt, whining.)

She digresses. But only because junior high is proving to be about as much of a chore as primary was on the Mainland.

 _Fiamma_ control classes start at grade 7, in small steps. Nagi's is Mist, the art of concealment and disillusionment. She learns to hide her blushing, first and foremost, and she'll love it until she decides it's such a hassle and she's fine the way she is.

They're given a choice of after school lectures to attend in lieu of club activities that leaves Nagi feeling like a university student instead of just a 13 year old junior high attendee.

After a quick round of debate and consulting with Shouichi (who is probably also still in class and rapid-firing her texts right back when his teacher isn't looking; he also tells her that in Yumei, _fiamma_ control classes aren't until high school unless a doctor prescribes otherwise, and that he isn't sure if he feels lucky or unlucky about that) Nagi decides on _Introduction to Practical Mist Applications_.

Being an Outsider and a Newcomer, Nagi understands less than the native Island residents. But she takes copious notes and works on rote memorization and plans to go over them later, maybe with Shouichi, if he has time. Whenever the lecture repeats, she attends if she needs a refresher, or skips if she doesn't and spends the time in her room drawing and catching up on homework. There's always so much homework. Classes move _fast_ but the teachers are exceptional, for the most part. She's learning so much better, so much more. Just.. so _much_.

Combined with cutthroat social politics and everyone trying to illusion each other into walking into walls to make fools out of them, Nagi's pretty sure the only reason she survives junior high is through sheer willpower and being emotionally blase to her peers.

And freaking out quietly in her room every few weeks when it's just her and Shouichi's voice on the phone.

* * *

She wouldn't call it a highlight of her life, but hearing from Jeong-Seo that she had managed to gather Nagi's parents together for a visit... It makes her feel both hot and cold at the same time. Her heart doesn't seem to know what to do with itself and just flops around uselessly in her chest.

Nagi decides, just like last time, not to put too much hope into it. After all, if they couldn't make time for her graduation, what are the chances they could just show up out of the blue for no reason at all? It's not even her birthday yet.

She sits in the waiting room and draws since she left her workbooks at home. These halls and these walls have probably already graced the insides of her sketchbooks numerous times, but she never stops drawing them. Sometimes the chairs are in different places. Sometimes the receptionist changes. There's new scuff marks, new scratches. A(nother) knife in wall, just inches from the ceiling?

Nagi catches the eye of one of the workers and points at it tentatively. They shake their head with wide eyes in a _please don't ask about that_ manner.

Nagi wisely does not ask about it.

There is a murmur of voices from down the hall. Jeong-Seo walks into view, leading a man and a woman behind her. They're dressed professional, pin-striped. Black and white. Dangerous. She already hates them.

The other boy _snarls_.

Nagi stares unabashedly at their faces and burns them into her mind. Burns them into _the other boy's_ mind. They don't seem to notice at all, their eyes misted and hazy and staring straight ahead.

Jeong-Seo looks amused when Nagi finally comes back to herself.

"Your parents are ready, Nagi."

..Oh.

(She'll just.. ask Shouichi about those two weird looking people later, then.)

* * *

**TAKESHI;** attack. attack everything. attack everything with every fiber of your being.

* * *

Takeshi honestly does not know why he didn't become friends with Tsuna earlier. He's so interesting, and cool! His mom teaches cooking and works at the research facility, his dad's in the mafia, _Tsuna_ himself looks like a completely unassuming nervous wreck who stumbles over words and feet, but once you get him on the couch with blankets and popcorn and the TV he turns into a snarky side-commentary _monster_.

(There is, of course, the process of getting him comfortable enough to share a couch and blanket and popcorn _and_ TV with that probably has something to do with it, but Takeshi digresses. He's shit at friendships.)

Somehow, luckily, Tsuna's presence also tames this desire Takeshi has to (verbally) tear things apart and (metaphorically) beat them into the ground. It's kinda nice. Takeshi has no idea why and Tsuna just stares at him blankly when asked about it. Tsuna thinks he's pretty shit at friendships himself.

Then they hole up in his room and bust out the ol' Shounen Jump magazines that Takeshi's dad never lets him buy. Mainlander nonsense, he says. Dad is _from_ the mainland! Takeshi thinks he's just trying really hard to fit in, though, and doesn't push it.

Tsuna's mom is just ever _so_ glad to see Tsuna coming home with smiles and a bounce in his step instead of a limp and a wince. Though that still happens sometimes.

Kids are mean; Takeshi knows, given his own frequent thoughts of premeditated violence. It's never been this bad, though. Before it was just the kids who would snatch his eyepatch, who'd poke fun at it, who tried to shove him around in his cast. He kicked their asses, because his dad is an assassin (probably) and an assassin's kid (probably) does not suffer being treated like this! Also, they're really easy to scare off.

But now- now it's practically everyone. Well, not Kyouko or Ryouhei, but they kinda make him want to hit them for entirely different reasons. Not hard though. Just, like, a bop on the head. Fondly?

"Yamamoto..." Tsuna gives him a _look_ when Takeshi tells him this. "..Um. I probably don't want to know the answer, but- who else do you think about... hitting?"

Takeshi rattles off a list. A list of bullies, some classmates, a few adults. And also some _non sequitur_ people that don't really fit with the others all that much, except for the fact that-

"Are you just naming all the people who make fun of me?" Tsuna frowns.

Takeshi opens his mouth to answer. Tsuna does the same.

He closes it. So does Tsuna.

"Oh."

* * *

"Dad! Hey. Um."

Wow. This is a weird question. And hard to ask. Takeshi's dad looks at him expectantly over dinner.

Stir-fried rice today. With broccoli pushed over to the side of his plate.

"...Dad.. what are best friends like?"

"You have one?" The tone is almost disbelieving.

Takeshi is almost offended.

"Dad!"

"Hey, I'm just asking. You never really.. bring anyone over, you know? Or talk about anyone in particular. Except the Sasagawas.. and lately the Sawada boy- oh, is it him?"

"Daa _aad_ ," Takeshi whines, and tries to be serious. "It's.. I guess I know what friends are like? Like Kyouko and Ryouhei. I like hanging out with them-"

"You're terrified of Kyouko-chan and your senpai helps you beat up bullies."

Takeshi splutters. How does his dad know him so well? Oh right. Dad. Assassin dad. Ex-assassin dad.

"A- _anyway_ , dad- I like them! But it's not the same with Tsuna! It's, um- it's more.. It's weird. I.. like being around Tsuna too but not the way I like being around senpai- which I guess is normal because we're friends for different reasons but! It's. I... I don't know. I like when he's happy and I get kind of-" he makes a growling sound and face. _Gao gaooo._ "-when he's not."

His dad chews methodically for a few moments while boring holes into Takeshi's skull with his assassin-like stare.

"..If you _like_ Tsuna, Takeshi, it's okay."

Takeshi... feels his mouth go dry. Is that it? Is that what this is? He likes Tsuna? Like, likes him like _that_?

"..We're 10, dad. Tsuna's not even 10 yet."

"It's called puppy love, Takeshi. You'll learn about it this year or next. That's what the school told me anyway. If you have any questions after, you can ask your old man."

"D-dad!"

"Son." Takeshi's dad reaches over and wraps a large, calloused hand over Takeshi's. He looks way too serious, but also really accepting and it makes Takeshi want to cry. He probably would would be crying if the situation were anything like what his father thought it was. "You're growing up. It's completely normal to feel the way you do."

Is it? Takeshi feels hope flutter in his chest.

"...So it's normal to want to beat up anyone who makes fun of Tsuna or is mean to him?"

His dad looks at him for a long, _long_ while. Then pats his hand a few times with a resigned sigh and goes back to eating. After a confused moment, Takeshi does the same.

"So I. I have a crush on Tsuna? But we don't even hold hands! I've never even thought about holding his hand. I mean. Hibari-san and Kusakabe-san do, but I don't think they're..."

Takeshi continues musing idly. His father only seems to be half paying attention.

* * *

"Tsuna, this is my mom. Her name is Yayoi. She works with Kokuyo and only comes back every so often."

His mom clucks her tongue. "Takeshi, that's a rude way to introduce your mother to a friend. What have you been teaching him, Tsuyoshi?"

His dad mutters something from the front of the house where he's busy with customers.

"Mom, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi. Dad says I'm in love with him."

His dad makes an audible choking sound in the distance. "I said I _thought_ you had a _crush_ on him!"

"Y-you have a _what_ on me?" Tsuna squawks, looking nervous and hopeful and terrified all at once.

"A crush! It means I, um.. _like_ like you, I guess? And I really want to protect you and keep you safe anyway, so it's probably true."

"Oh, Takeshi. That's adorable." His mother pats him on the head and sounds absolutely endeared at the sight of Tsuna's face going so pink and red, but not in a bad way. "He's adorable."

"Y.. you can't just _say things like that, Yamamoto_!"

"Why not?" Takeshi beams. "I like you, Tsuna!"

Tsuna makes a strangled sound and buries his face in his hands. Like he wants to hide. Then he seems to remember that they're sitting at the coffee table and actually _does_ hide by curling over and shoving his face against the table.

Hibari was right. Really a small animal.

"Takeshi, could I talk to Sawada-kun alone for a little bit?"

"Just Tsuna is fine," Tsuna says against the table in a tone of utter despair.

"Tsuna, then."

Oh, no. That was fast. Usually it took his mother a few days to give his prospective friends The Talk. The same kind that Kyouko gave him that day about Tsuna, even though Tsuna is far from delicate. _Takeshi_ is far from delicate. Why would his mother have to talk to Tsuna about that?

"...I'll go help dad then."

"You're not allowed in the kitchen, Takeshi!" His dad shouts from the storefront. Takeshi winces and scuttles out to help on the floor then.

Behind him, Tsuna laughs. But he's still muffled by the table, so Takeshi just hears the sound of a dying cow.

* * *

"Tsuyoshi-san, do you have any hot water bottles? The rubber kind."

"I.. yes? Takeshi, can you-"

"I got it!"

"Tsuna.. why do you need hot water bottle?"

"Yayoi-san needs one."

Takeshi digs through the cabinets until he finds it. "I got it."

"Hold on, Takeshi- don't fill it up by yourself, you'll burn your hands."

His father comes out from behind the counter to fill up the bottle at the sink. Tsuna comes up with a towel to wrap around and carry it when it's full.

"Thanks, Tsuyoshi-san."

And trots off.

"..Why does mom need a hot water bottle anyway, dad? She uses them a lot whenever she's home."

"You'll learn that in school this year, too." His father pats him on the head. In the living room, Takeshi's mom thanks Tsuna for the bottle and tells him that ‘Nana raised a good son, in spite of it all'. "Tsuna sure is good with women, though. Maybe because he lives with his mother?"

"Maybe." Takeshi scrunches his face, remembering how Tsuna had just magically attracted Kyouko to him since the day they met. Or so Takeshi recalls, anyway. He's terrified of Kyouko, after all. "..Does that mean I'm good with guys, dad?"

"..Let's just get back to work, son."

* * *

"Your mom's scary, Yamam- um.. Takeshi..."

Takeshi blinks.

"Eh.. Yayoi-san said I should... get used to calling you byyourfirstname." The last part is muffled into the pillow Tsuna's using for sleeping over at Takeshi's house. Takeshi sees pink ears.

He laughs.

"Well, I call you Tsuna. It's only right for you to call me Takeshi!"

* * *

"Hey, Yamamoto.. why're you hanging out with No Good Tsuna anyway?"

"Hmm?" Why is he hanging out with _these_ guys, anyway? Ah, well. Most of the school calls Tsuna by that name. Only a few of them actually mean enough for Takeshi to want to.. do disciplinary-type things to them. "'Cuz I want to. Why?"

"What, is he paying you protection money? How much? I wanna get in on that, my parents won't raise my allowance until junior high."

"He's.. not paying me anything?" Well. Except in friendship. That's priceless though. Takeshi doesn't think these guys would be very good friends for Tsuna, anyway. "I just hang out with Tsuna. What's wrong with that?"

"That's _No Good Tsuna_. You'll be just as No Good if you're around him too long, you know."

"That doesn't make any sense."

"It's true!"

"No it's not. I've been around him for like, a whole year."

"Yeah, and how many injuries have you gotten because of him?"

Takeshi frowns. "That has nothing to do with it."

"It _does_ , Yamamoto." Kondo eyes him with a mouthful of rice. "Anyone who hangs out with No Good Tsuna gets a lot of bad luck. Just look at the Sasagawas."

"Tsuna _helped_ them fight!"

"He's the reason they got into a fight in the first place! Those high schoolers were waiting for him."

Takeshi is so confused. This isn't what he heard, it's not what Tsuna said (though Tsuna never says much of anything about that kind of thing) and it's _definitely_ not what he heard from Hibari.

"That's not what Hibari-san said."

"Of course- wait what?" Abe looks at him like he's grown another head. Is Tsuna there? Takeshi looks, and no, Tsuna is not behind him. "The Chairman told you what happened? How? _Why_?"

"I.. uh. I asked him?" What? "..What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You must have had a _death wish_ , Yamamoto," Abe says in awe. She puts down her sandwich. "What did Hibari-san say?"

"Um- well, it was when I handed in my papers. I wanted to know about that incident, so I asked Hibari-san about and he basically just... explained everything? He said that- oh, Hibari-san!"

Abe and Kondo make matching expressions of silent screaming. Takeshi waves and lo and behold, the Chairman who had just left his office narrows his eyes but wanders over to where Takeshi is having lunch with some fellow Committee members. It's easier to respond to radio calls if they're not trying to hear it over the clamor in the classroom or in the very loud cafeterias.

"Yamamoto Takeshi. And group." Hibari almost seems to huff, if Takeshi figured Hibari to be someone for huffing. "What is it?"

"Haruna and Takei wanted to know about that thing with Tsuna and the Sasagawas 2 years ago. You know, with the high schoolers."

"Yes," Hibari squints. "I know. I have considered creating an archive to document cases so that I am not bothered with these sorts of questions."

Instead of answering though, he calls over his shoulder, "Tetsuya, answer their question. I'm going on patrol."

And he leaves. Just like that.

Kusakabe seems used to it though, approaching Takeshi's table with a long-worn _what now_ expression.

"Yamamoto?"

"Tsuna, Sasagawas, 2 years ago. High schoolers. What happened? Why were they here?"

"Ah." Kusakabe rubs at his chin in thought, looking way too much older. "..From what I recall of the reports from the Upper Division, the students had a grudge against Sasagawa Ryohei-"

 _Hah_ , is the face that Takeshi makes at the other two.

"-but after being told to vacate the premises by ex-Committee Members Sato Shiori and Nakano Yasu, they claimed to be visiting a ‘little sister' of theirs instead. They described this ‘little sister' of theirs as someone matching Sasagawa Kyouko's description, and were again denied. Failing _that_ , they claimed a ‘little brother' with Sawada Tsunayoshi's description, and were permitted to stay."

Takeshi's smile twitches a little. He still won. It wasn't Tsuna's fault. Not completely.

"Kyouya-san followed up with a thorough investigation to anyone and everyone that Sato and Nakano had been in contact with in both the high school and junior high. There were.. quite a few dismissals following that incident, from all Divisions. Since then, Kyouya-san has tightened security around the schools and we're a lot stricter about letting students from one school enter another school without express permission."

"Yeah, we noticed," Abe mutters, peering out the window. There's always a few Committee members near the gates now.

"Mm. Does that answer your questions?"

"Yeah." Takeshi nods. "Thanks, Kusakabe-sa-"

"Vice-Chairman, are you _sure_ No Good Tsuna wasn't the real reason they were here?"

Kusakabe doesn't even bat an eye. "If he was, the report Kyouya received would have said so."

"What's your _deal_ with Tsuna, Kondo?" Takeshi hisses. "Stop trying to blame him for everything."

"Well I gotta blame _someone_ , don't I?" Kondo growls back. "Sasagawa can't have done anything to make _high schoolers_ want to beat him up, and neither would Kyouko-san. If we want to stop these things from happening we have to take care of the _reason_ it's happening, don't we?"

"Tsuna was as much a victim as the Sasagawas!"

"No Good Tsuna is an outsider, we don't protect outsiders."

"He's a _citizen_ , Kondo-"

" _Iemitsu was struck off the records_!" Kondo counters, and Takeshi reels back. Because _he knew_ , but hearing it like this is something else. "Iemitsu abandoned the island and _No Good Tsuna_ probably will too. He's an _outsider_."

"..He protected me," Takeshi says after a moment of silence. "He fought for me. He _fought_ for me."

It's a daring thing to say, to admit. That Tsuna fought for him and the implication that Takeshi would do the same for him, too.

"..So, what. You're putting him under your protection?"

Takeshi sucks in a breath. Lets it out.

".. Yeah. I am. I mean-" Blinking out of the sudden haze of _wanttohithimsobad_ , Takeshi turns. "If I can do that, Kusakabe-san."

Hibari's second-in-command gives him a long, considering look. "..I'm afraid I can't authorize that, Yamamoto Takeshi."

Kondo sinks back into his seat, arms crossed smugly.

"Not because of Sawada's citizen status, but because the protection clause only kicks in once you're in high school. Invoking a prospective protection clause isn't even really allowed until junior high. I can try asking Kyouya-san, though. He seems to like sm- ...people who take their duties seriously."

Kusakabe coughs and makes a bit of a face. Takeshi is pretty sure that was meant to be _he seems to like small animals_. Probably explains why Hibari sometimes walks with them to Tsuna's place.

"You've also been invoking protection clause rights since last year and Kyouya-san hasn't stopped you, so you're probably free to keep doing it until you graduate. Then we can file a formal request, if you're still sure at that time."

"Of course I will be!" Takeshi jumps to his feet and snaps into a bow. "Thank you, Kusakabe-san!"

"You're, um, welcome. Where are you going? There's still-"

"Gonna find Tsuna before lunch is over! So I can let him know."

"Check with Kyouya-san."

"Why?"

"He has a.. radar. For people like Sawada."

For small animals.

"..Oh. Alright. Thanks again. See you tomorrow, guys! And gal."

Abe waves limply at him before he dashes out of the Committee office.

* * *

He tells Tsuna. Tsuna reacts as expected.

By turning red and groan-whining _oh my God, Takeshi_ into his hands again.

Hibari has basically given Takeshi permission to be a part of the Committee _and_ hang around Tsuna 90% of the time instead of doing his ‘actual' duties. And also to hit anyone he wants, within reason.

"Let's go to the arcade after school, Tsuna. Your mom's working tonight, right? We can eat dinner at my place."

Takeshi slings an arm over Tsuna's shoulder and laughs. Tsuna whines. It's a date. It's a date, right?

He's 11 and life is _awesome_.

* * *

Until he finds himself staring down the barrel of what must be a _gun_ , a bruise blooming on his cheek, and his dad is stiff and shaking behind the sushi counter ( _not fear, not fear, that's anger that'sANGER_ ) and Takeshi knows there's a sword in the back room, hanging on the wall. There's a knife by the door in a hidden panel, he has a baton at his side, there's a spare umbrella leaning against the outside of the building.

Weather is dry. Dusty. Pebbles are plenty. The dock is nearby, induce a chase, shove them into the water. No, too dark, can't see well, especially with one eye.

Fight. No. Too small. Twice his size. _Gun_. Dodge, roll, disarm. Could do it.

A quick glance behind the man with the gun pointed at him. Another gun, pointed at his dad. No chance. Run into him? Push him back, crash them together, distraction. Dad can get the sword. Grab the knife. Gut them for even _daring_ -

" _Takeshi_!"

Something shoves into his side, his vision blurs. Gunshot. Takeshi hits the ground.

He turns his head and sees red and everything is _blue_.

  
  
  


* * *

**TSUNAYOSHI;** he is alive. alive. alive. he is so glad to be alive.

* * *

The world is a blur of colors and bright, blinking lights when Tsuna wakes up. Or maybe that's just him blinking, and not the lights themselves. A dull sound beeps next to him, about as slow and steady as he feels.

"..na?"

Tsuna blinks again. His lips feel dry and cracked when he opens his mouth, and the words stick in his throat. He coughs.

Someone sits him up in bed- bed? And a glass is pressed to his lips. He takes a small, small sip of water, and feels a little better. Then another, until the walls of his throat are no longer glued together.

"Tsuna- Tsuna, can you hear me? Tsuna!"

He rubs the crust and bleariness from his eyes and reaches out blindly towards the source of that sound, that voice-

"Tsu-kun!"

_Mom_

"Easy there, Sawada-kun. Take it easy. You absorbed quite a bit of Rain flames when you went down, so everything probably feels numb and slow still."

"C'tt'ny," he mumbles.

"..That's one way to put it, yes. Alright everyone, I'll need you to leave the room for a few minutes while I give him a check up. You can come in again after. Sawada-san, you'll need to stay though."

Tsuna hears complaints. They make him laugh. Or want to laugh, because his tongue feels like sandpaper and he can't seem to draw enough breath for laughter. Eventually it's quiet again and someone he supposes is a doctor is tipping his chin up, shining a light in his eyes. It takes too long to adjust to it and any progress his vision had been making just kind of resets into a blank slate of _white white white_.

He goes through the rest of the checkup placidly, moving fingers and toes, blinking every now and then and shaking his head to get rid of the ringing in his ears. Everything is so _slow_.

Something pops next to his ear, like fingers snapping. Twice on one side, twice on the other. Tsuna shakes his head again.

"Pupil reflex is delayed.. he's not responding to auditory cues either... Oh, there it is. Very delayed."

Something sharp pricks his arm.

"Sawada-san, it seems like his Rain flame sedation is more severe than we thought. I'm going to administer an injection of adrenaline to help his body fight it off. We're adding morphine to his IV as well, since the adrenaline will also negate the analgesic effects of the flames."

Silence.

Another prick.

"Second dose... Ah."

The beeping spikes.

"The sedation is wearing off now.. he'll be feeling the pain pretty quickly-"

Tsuna bites back a strangled _whimper_.

He remembers missing parts of a movie sometimes and rewinding the VCR. Watching the scenes play backwards . Remembers rewatching movies and already knowing what happens so he skips forward. 20 minutes go by in 10 seconds.

That's what this feels like.

Like coming back to life.

His chest throbs like he's been kicked, hard, and the dull ache there feels like an old, Sun-infused friend. What happened?

Ah, that's right. Takeshi. That's what happened.

Tsuna blinks again. Clarity comes so suddenly it's almost nauseating, but with it also comes a certain _calm_ , one that Tsuna has felt before, so many years ago. So calm, so bright, so _warm_.

"Good morning, Tsu-kun."

He looks over and sees his mother, wiping tear stains from her cheeks, hands and voice shaking and her smile trembling, but so relieved.

The door opens and Takeshi is a blur darting into the room. His friend suddenly stops halfway through, one eye wide, the other hidden between an eyepatch with a blue milk carton drawn on.

Flame flickers softly in his ears.

"Tsuna..."

"Takeshi- you're," Tsuna swallows, throat still dry. His eyes prickle and his vision blurs just a little. "..You're alive."

"So're you." Takeshi seems to zoom over and drop into a chair across the bed from Tsuna's mother, at Tsuna's other side. "You're alive. God, you're alive, you're okay, I can't- I- we all thought you were-"

"I'm alive," he whispers, fingers reaching over the bedsheets for both his mom's and Takeshi's hands. "I'm.. alive."

Holds them tight. Doesn't want to let go.

Yes. Alive. _Alive_.

Takeshi gives him a watery smile, crooked and mussed up because it looks like Takeshi probably fell asleep here and just woke up, judging by the slight drool stain on the sheets.

"Also, um, your head is on fire."

Oh.

Tsuna laughs, cracked and tinkling.

"..I'm back, mom."

  
[1] seiza: a traditional japanese sitting position on one's knees. men and women generally sit a little differently; women with their knees together, and men with a bit of space between them.  
[2] Il sourit: (french) He's smiling / he smiles.  
[3] nagi's mother's real name is megumi, which uses a single kanji 恵 that is also used in the name 'emi' 恵美, her stage name. according to google translate anyway.  
[4] Kokuyo Collective: a 'public' term for the Kokuyo Estate, generally used to refer to the collection of businesses and properties that operate under the supervision of the Kokuyo Estate. the Hibari side also has a Hibari Collective, but it's not as weird and creepy as the Kokuyo side, because like 90% of Kokuyos (the Estate, not the city) are Mist users.  
[5] umeboshi: japanese dried pickled plum. commonly eaten in onigiri (riceballs).  
[6] nagi was born dec. 5 and I was having a shit time trying to figure out timelines that made sense so I decided she was enrolled in primary school late. so she's incidentally actually like a little less than a year older than shouichi who was born on dec. 3. they celebrate together on the 4th.  



	6. CASE DESIGNATION: AGNUSDEI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: clinical descriptions of a shooting. teens in shock. cussing? improperly humorous situations.

* * *

**REPORT;** officially, this is what happened.

* * *

Within 4 days, Hibari Kyouya submits a report of the incident to the Senior Division along with several proposals for review.

The report reads as follows.

* * *

 **Date:**  
Heisei-22 / 07 / 27 (TUESDAY)

**Case Designation:**  
_AGNUSDEI_

**Reporting Member:**  
HIBARI SHIRATORI KYOUYA, Namimori Precinct Disciplinary Committee Chairman

 **Prepared By:**  
HIBARI SHIRATORI KYOUYA, Namimori Precinct Disciplinary Committee Chairman

 **Incident:**  
Shooting near the northern edge of Namimori Precinct, resulting in 3 persons injured, 1 in critical state. All perpetrators have been apprehended and remain in custody.

See attached (ITEM 09) for additional related proposals.

* * *

 **Heisei-22 / 06 / 20 (SUNDAY)**  
Kokuyo Initiate Hokuto Nagi sighted suspicious individuals of foreign nationality exiting the Miura Household branch manor in Gendo-cho.

 **Heisei-22 / 06 / 22 (TUESDAY)**  
Namimori resident Irie Shouichi, currently attending Yumei Private School, received an e-mail correspondence from Hokuto Nagi containing a hand-drawn reproduction of the individuals. See ( ITEM 01 ). The information was forwarded to Namimori Precinct Disciplinary Committee Chairman as an anonymous tip. See (ITEM 02).

 **Heisei-22 / 06 / 23 (WEDNESDAY)**  
Namimori Precinct Disciplinary Committee Chairman Hibari Kyouya received the anonymous tip and forwarded it to the Committee's Senior Division requesting further information. Also requested increase in patrols and security along the Namimori / Gendo-cho border.

 **Heisei-22 / 06 / 26 (SATURDAY)**  
Reply received from the Senior Division. It contained the suspicious persons report along with with CCTV photographs of the 2 individuals. Attached was the anonymous tip ( ITEM 02 ) along with profiles of the individuals collected by Senior Division member Mori Shichiro.

 _agnusdei_ Luciano Pecora, M, age 42 ( _attached photo_ )  
_agnusdei_ Annetta Gatti, F, age 35 ( _attached photo_ )

Collectively known as the _AGNELLI DI DIO_ , the Lambs of God, Pecora and Gatti are freelance retrieval specialists among the Underground denizens. They entered Kakishima with the intention to retrieve a package ( _persons_ ) for their client.

Information was forwarded to all Divisions. All Divisions requested to be on the lookout for these individuals and report any suspicious behaviors they exhibit.

 **Heisei-22 / 07 / 11 (SUNDAY)**  
Multiple sighting reports received in the past week. Pecora and Gatti found to remain near the dock area of Namimori Precinct. They asked for any rumors of a swordsman, claiming to be old acquaintances looking to ‘catch up'. The island has many swordsmen. Few have gone abroad and acquainted themselves with Europeans. For transcripts, see ( ITEM 03 ).

At this time, the target package was identified to be Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, citizen of Namimori, Kakishima, and former freelance assassin. Senior Division placed lookouts but did not otherwise increase protection so as not to draw the attention of the _AGNELLI DI DIO_.

 **Heisei-22 / 07 / 20 (TUESDAY)**  
Reports received that Pecora and Gatti seemed to be losing patience. Distractions and stalling could not be continued. Citizen was threatened and confessed to knowing a swordsman on the other side of town. For transcripts, see ( ITEM 04 ).

Mochida household reported intrusion by 2 foreign individuals. They were armed. For transcripts, see ( ITEM 05 ).

 **Heisei-22 / 07 / 23 (FRIDAY)**  
21:36 Senior Division receives distress call from Yamamoto Tsuyoshi claiming someone had been shot in front of his restaurant. Senior Division Committee members were dispatched. Committee Chairman was also notified. For transcripts, see ( ITEM 06 ).

21:53 Senior Division receives calls from the dock area of Namimori reporting the sound of a single gunshot and bright lights from Yamamoto Tsuyoshi's house and restaurant.

22:31 Upon arrival at scene, Pecora and Gatti were supposedly unconscious and in a petrified state. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi and Yamamoto Takeshi showed several bruises but were otherwise unharmed. Sawada Tsunayoshi received a perforating gunshot wound in his chest.

22:42 Ambulance arrives. Sawada Tsunayoshi is removed from the scene.

22:58 Sawada Tsunayoshi arrives at Sawada Hospital ER.

Accounts were taken from witnesses Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi, Iwahara Daiki, and Shinobu Takehiko in the days following.

For witness accounts, see attached ( ITEM 07 ).  
CCTV footage of incident, is included on the USB stick labeled ( ITEM 08 ).

 **As of the submission of this report, Heisei-22 / 07 / 27 (TUESDAY):**  
\- Sawada Tsunayoshi was released from the ICU and remains comatose. Detailed medical report may be retrieved by contacting the Sawada Hospital.  
\- Pecora and Gatti remain in supposed suspended animation in the _Fiamma Research Facility_. The petrification appears permanent.  
\- Pecora and Gatti's mission is considered (UNSUCCESSFUL).

Case is considered CLOSED. Updates may be submitted.

* * *

**PROPOSALS (ITEM 09)**

**Submitted by:**  
HIBARI SHIRATORI KYOUYA

 **Reviewed by:**  
HIBARI LƯU THÀNH CLAUDE, Hibari Leader  
JEONG-SEO KAEDE, Kokuyo Leader  
MORIYA KEIKO, Mayor of Kakishima

I, Hibari Shiratori Kyouya, hereby propose the following:

 **01** \- Following review of case _AGNUSDEI_ , that Yamamoto Takeshi and Yamamoto Tsuyoshi be authorized to invoke the rights of Protection Clause over Sawada Tsunayoshi in the absence of his primary guardian(s), Sawada Leveque Nana.  
**GRANTED** [ HIBARI ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
**GRANTED** [ KOKUYO ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]

 **02** \- Following review of case _AGNUSDEI_ and CCTV footage of the incident, that Sawada Tsunayoshi's citizen status be re-administered from ‘IN CONSIDERATION' to ‘POSITIVE', in light of his actions to protect Yamamoto Takeshi.  
**GRANTED** [ HIBARI ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
**GRANTED** [ KOKUYO ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]

 **03** \- That the Island Defense Academy age limit be lowered and participation of self-defense courses be mandatory for all persons capable. Sawada Tsunayoshi is to be enrolled following his release from the hospital and recovery.  
**GRANTED** [ HIBARI ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
**GRANTED** [ KOKUYO ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]

 **04** \- That I be authorized to induct Sawada Tsunayoshi into Namimori Precinct's Disciplinary Committee as an Honorary Member, and to invoke the rights of Protection Clause over him as necessary.  
**GRANTED** [ HIBARI ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
**GRANTED** [ KOKUYO ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]

 **05** \- That Luciano Pecora and Annetta Gatti be given capital punishment for the harming and attempted abduction of Namimori citizens.  
**DENIED** [ HIBARI ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
**DENIED** [ KOKUYO ESTATE SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]

 **[ APPROVED AND FILED ]**  
[ KAKISHIMA SEAL AND SIGNATURE ]  
MORIYA KEIKO, Mayor of Kakishima

* * *

"Claude-san. Why was my proposal denied."

"Kyouya, you're adorable and we love you, but we can't kill the _agnelli di Dio_."

"They tried to abduct Yamamoto Tsuyoshi. They _shot_ Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"If we kill them, their employers will know. And they will send more people."

"Then we-"

"We cannot afford to kill every one of them that tries to come into Kakishima, Kyouya."

"...Won't Kokuyo Leader keep them out, anyway?"

"Kokuyo Leader is not infallible. Neither is the Guardian. Neither am _I_ , Kyouya. We operate by staying 10 steps ahead and _off_ of anyone's radar."

"Fine. What is going to happen to them."

"That's classified, Kyouya."

Kyouya looks down at the photo in his hand. It shows Sawada Tsunayoshi on the streets with Yamamoto Takeshi and Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, 2 of 3 faces in full-view.

He scowls into the phone.

"..Whatever it is, I want to be there for it."

"Kyouya-"

" _I want to be there_."

The photo was found in Pecora's suit pocket.

* * *

**WITNESS ACCOUNTS (ITEM 07)**

The following witnesses have provided their account of the events: Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, Yamamoto Takeshi, Iwahara Daiki, and Shinobu Takehiko.

**Y. TSUYOSHI:**

> "...been looking for me. Takeshi told me when the Disciplinary Committee found out who their target was- that was almost 2 weeks ago, the 11th. He was out of the house, said he got the call on his radio and phoned home to let me know.... Anyway, they showed up about 9 o'clock, just as I was closing up. Said they wanted to talk to me... I knew it was them. I tried to refuse- I haven't been in that business for years, not since I moved here. I told them I wouldn't go with them, they wouldn't be able to get me off the island anyway.
> 
> They had- they had guns. She- Gatti, wasn't it? Gatti. She pulled a gun out and tried to get me out the door. Then..."

**Y. TAKESHI:**

> "I, um, I was out with Tsuna. Arcade. We.. well, Tsuna- he started getting a little funny near the end, kept checking the time and looking around. Said we should get going home. His mom's working tonight so we were going to have dinner at my place, with my dad. He said he had- had a bad feeling about something, super jumpy, like- like he wanted to run? But kept going. Anyway, I- I ran ahead, because by the time I could see my house, it was already, um, way past closing, like.. 15 minutes. 20 minutes? I don't know, but the lights were still on and the door wasn't locked. Dad always locks up and turns everything off pretty quickly, unless he has company.
> 
> So I thought, maybe mom was home.. maybe he's got friends over, they're talking. I told Tsuna that I'd- that I was gonna run on ahead, because he was getting tired and slow- God, I shouldn't have- I should've waited. I- I got in there, and there's these two, this guy in a suit, and some lady, she's in a suit too, she has a- _a gun_ at my dad, and I just run in like an idiot and the other guy, he grabs me, tries to threaten me. Tells my dad to come with them or I- or I get it. He had a gun too. I.. I kicked him and he hit me in the face, right here- (noted: Y. Takeshi indicates the bruise on his cheek) with the gun, throws me out the door, points it at me.
> 
> I'm- I just stopped, I thought- I thought about all this stuff, what I could do, could I run, I thought-"

**I. Daiki:**

> "..saw No Goo- I mean, Sawada, we- _I_ , okay, I saw Sawada walking by near the docks. He's- I went over to push him around a little, okay? Everyone does it. Everyone's been doing it since that dad of his got knocked off the records. He never really fought back- well, I guess he kicked Take in the nuts once (noted: S. Takehiko denies this injury), crazy. Uh-
> 
> So yeah, I was, I followed him a little, said some stuff.. Yamamoto was already way ahead and wouldn't hear us, so we just let loose, caught up and shoved him a bit. He kept- he kept asking us to stop, saying Yamamoto was in trouble- called him _Takeshi_ like, like they were friends- _no one_ calls him Takeshi, not even his friends, so we.. we just..
> 
> Look, I'm sorry, okay! Just don't- don't _bite me to death_ for this later, Hibari. I'm- we should've let him go. Just not have- God, no, what if we hadn't? What would've happened to Yamamoto? Oh my god, shit-"

**S. Takehiko:**

> "..did _not kick me in the nuts_ , okay, he punched me in the gut. Yamamoto knocked me in the head. I guess. I don't.. really remember. My brother was pissed.
> 
> You, anyway, probably heard from Daiki, yeah, we have fun pushing N- Sawada around. Sawada. He kept asking us to let him go, looked like he was going to cry- he never cries, you know? Hides his face when we hit him, looks somewhere else, I never noticed until now. But he, he _looked at me_. Looked at us, he- he said _let me go, Takeshi's in trouble, I need to help him_ , and we just- what good is No Good Tsuna gonna do, right?
> 
> Anyway, we're shoving him along, figured we get a few kicks in before we left. We live on the same strip, right down there, so we- we were gonna hightail it home if Yamamoto saw us. We're uh, we were about.. 4 houses away. From Yamamoto's place. I hear this sound- Yamamoto, he's shouting, I think I heard something like, _stop, let me go, you can't take my dad_. I was gonna ask Dai if he heard it too. Then Sawada, he just- he bites my hand and I, I drop him- I threw him off, I call him a- a sonnuvabitch, he takes off, just, doesn't even look back. Runs straight down the street, me and Dai follow him, to hell with Yamamoto and his damn Committee status.
> 
> Yamamoto's house is still lit, store lights are still on, which I- I guess that had to have been our first clue that something might've been going on. I saw someone- Yamamoto, I saw him stumbling out backwards. He fell down and starts getting up, then just kinda.. freezes. It was weird, I guess, and then- and then I thought someone was reaching out, maybe his dad wanted to help him up? Then I see-
> 
> It was a gun, someone's got a _gun_ pointed at _Yamamoto_ , and Dai and I, we just kinda stop- I mean, it's a gun, right? _No one uses guns_ in Namimori, no one uses any damn guns on the _island_ , we- we didn't know what to do! Dai is like, _shit, that's a gun, we better_ , we better call someone, the Committee. We gotta tell- and can you believe it, Sawada- fucking Sawada just keeps running, and I can't- I think I tried to stop him. I said, _the hell do you think you're doing, get back here_ , and before I can even call him No Good Tsuna again, I hear him shouting, _Takeshi_ , and I just remember thinking, _idiot_ , that idiot, he's gonna get himself killed, he's gonna get Yamamoto killed.
> 
> He runs up, this tiny kid, 10 years old, yelling his dumb head off, and-"

**I. Daiki:**

> "What? What happened? Oh, uh- God, I can't even really remember, it happened just, just like _that_ (noted: I. Daiki snaps his fingers). Um.. I had my phone out, I was- I think I already dialed- (noted: I. Daiki shows his recent call history, showing a call made to the Committee's Junior Division representative at 21:30) yeah, I called our Division Rep, I was telling her, _hey, there's some freaks in the Yamamoto house, he's got a fucking gun, he's POINTING a gun at Yamamoto_ , and she's telling me I'm being an ass and to call Senior Division first before yelling at her, and I was gonna do it- Sawada- he's yelling like a dumbass.
> 
> He gets up there- Take and I are, what, 2 houses down? I heard Yamamoto's dad, inside, he's yelling something like, _don't you dare touch my son, I'll go with you, don't hurt him_ , and I, I just thought, _shit, this is messed up, they can't just do that_ -
> 
> And where the hell is the Disciplinary Committee anyway? There wasn't a single fucking patrol, not a single person, just- just Yamamoto and his dumb bones and his freaky eye, and Sawada, the shrimp, Take and I just kinda stand there like idiots and _Sawada shoves Yamamoto_ , and, like- Yamamoto just kinda goes dark, the sun's down and I couldn't see where he'd fallen. And the guy, the gun- it, it just- Sawada didn't even trip on the way there, what the hell. He sprints up, shoves Yamamoto over, and- he _turns_ , just. Just whips around, and I swear it all happened just _slow motion_ , the guy- the one with the gun, I guess he got startled? Like what the hell, who's this little brat- I think the gun kinda followed Yamamoto a bit and just.. snapped back.
> 
> I thought, I think I might have shouted like an idiot, _get the hell out of there, No Good Tsuna_ , maybe it was just in my head, maybe I wanted to say it. Maybe I should have. And the guy, he _shoots_ , and there's just, _pop_ , just one sound, but it's so fucking loud. I still had my phone up and I remember Rep just kept saying _what the hell, Iwahara, what the hell is going, who fired, answer me, talk to me_ and I'm just, I think I dropped the phone. Yeah, that's where the crack- yeah. I dropped it on the sidewalk, and I just watch Sawada- he just crumples like a fucking, like a wet bag, and I was thinking _oh, shit, he's dead, he's dead he's dead_ and then Yamamoto sits up and there's this tiny bit of light that reaches him, he's- it's so dark out but I could tell he was _so pale_ -"

**Y. TSUYOSHI:**

> "I don't remember a lot after... after that. My heart stopped. I heard the gunshot and my heart just stopped, I heard Tsuna shouting my son's name, I heard the gunshot, and then it was just _silent_... Then I.. I have Rain flames myself, so I know that's what it was. I thought, _thank God, Takeshi's alive, thank God_. There's so much _blue_ , Takeshi's flames are _everywhere_ and I heard him shouting Tsuna's name, and I was so glad and then I felt so _cold_ , because that's when I realize what happened.
> 
> Gatti, she drops her gun and grabs the man- Pecora, grabs his shoulders and shakes him, she says in Italian, _what the hell did you do, you weren't supposed to shoot, do you know what happens if we kill anyone here_ , and Pecora.. he turns, and his face is- it's blank, his eyes are kind of unfocused. I thought it was the flames, Takeshi's flames. The tranquilizing and sedation effect always kicks in fast. I didn't have time to think about why Gatti wasn't affected, because, um... I don't really know how to explain it.
> 
> One moment, Takeshi's flames are _everywhere_ , I swear I was breathing some of it, and then it feels like it's being sucked out of my lungs. It felt like something was taking my flames too, sucked it all out of the air. It went out the door, Gatti was holding on Pecora who, I guess, he snapped out of it, whatever happened. They're asking each other, _what's going on, what did you do, what did I do_ , and then..."

**I. Daiki:**

> "..I was like, _what the fuck_ , it was- cut it out, Hibari, I'm _14_ , I can cuss if I want. Sawada, he, all that blue stuff- the flames, Yamamoto's I guess, I heard he was a Rain- Sawada's absorbing all of it? God, I don't even know, it's all going into him, and I thought, _that's one hell of a doping_ , you know, too much Rain flames could probably kill you, but he- _he's on fire_. Like, not blue, he's _actually on fire_. Just his head- like, right here (noted: I. Daiki points to his forehead), right there, there's this giant _thing_ of fire.
> 
> Then I realize it's Flames, right? I thought Sawada didn't have any fucking flames, he isn't supposed to, that's why he's No Good Tsuna, that's why his damn dad ran off, he's not- _they were Sky Flames_ , like, seriously. Shit, there was _so much of it_. Yamamoto, his flames, they kinda just hovered? Like mist, like rain, just clung to the area around the shop, but- Sawada, it, it shot like, straight up into the air. Yamamoto had the thing on his forehead too and it was huge, probably.. 2 heads high, but Sawada's _went over the roof_ , I swear I'm not lying, and.. it. He got up.
> 
> Sawada just, he got up, and I saw a bit, his shirt, the blood was right- there was so much blood I thought he'd gotten shot in the heart, but he's still up, and Yamamoto's shouting _Tsuna, Tsuna are you okay, what's going on_ , and Take's just going _what the hell, what the hell, holy shit holy shit holy shit_ like a broken record, and I probably would've done the same, but- uh. I think they were shouting in the store too, Italian probably. Maybe trying to shoot Sawada again- _God I can't believe they shot him_ \- he's up and suddenly the flames aren't just going _up_ into the sky they're, they're _spreading out_ , like way, way far out.
> 
> Take and I got hit with some of it, there was some.. some bits of blue? I don't know, it was so fucking weird, I- I got so fucking calm when it hit, like, _calm_. Like everything was gonna be okay. I remember thinking, _he's alive, he's alive thank God he's alive_ , and it was so weird, because I don't give a shit about Sawada, about- about No Good Tsuna. And then he fucking- he falls down again, and the flames are gone, not- not sucked back in like before, they're just _gone_. It stops.
> 
> And it's so quiet after- I've never been in a fire before but it sounded like, just, _fire_ , you know? Roaring, flames roaring and _whoosh whoosh_ just constantly blowing around, it was so loud and I felt so fucking _calm_ and then it just stops. I ran up there- I forgot my damn phone, Take was trying to tell me that -I ran up there because Yamamoto was looking inside and then at Sawada and then he's trying to get Sawada to wake up, I get there and I wonder why he's not worried about the guy with the gun- I figure the flames knocked him out, it happens sometimes?
> 
> I look in there, and Yamamoto's dad is on the phone and yelling at Yamamoto not to move Sawada, just put pressure, put _pressure_ but there's blood on Sawada's back too and I figure the bullet just passed through him, you can't put pressure on that, can you? And inside, the guy, the guy and the other one, they're- they're fucking _statues_ man, just—
> 
> Dammit, Hibari, I'm in shock here, stop trying to hit me every time I cuss!"

* * *

Moriya Keiko reaches over to turn off the recording. She drops the transcripts onto the table with the rest of the case report.

(Seriously, this was written by a 12 year old? If they hadn't told her his age, she would have thought it was from someone in the Senior Division.)

"...This seems to have turned out to be quite the mess," she says.

It's late. Across from her desk, Hibari Claude and Jeong-Seo Kaede sit straight in their chairs.

" _It was not meant to,_ " says a figure from behind Kaede. Hidden the shadows, as they like to be.

"I should hope not, Guardian. When you brought the proposal to my desk 3 years ago, I agreed because the Sawada line is necessary to the island. You assured me it would be simple."

" _..I did._ "

"This is not simple. This is involving another party. This could spark an international crisis."

" _We have always been prepared for one, Mayor._ "

"That does not mean I _want_ one to happen."

Kaede shifts. Claude shoots her a side-glance and clears his throat.

"There is.. still the matter of Pecora and Gatti's current state."

"Yes." Keiko taps a pen against her desk, thoughtful. "..We need to consult the Sawadas and the Asari Clan remnants. This is a Flame-related incident. Bring the representatives to the _Fiamma Research Facility_ , let them have a look at the _agnelli di Dio_ and see what they make of it. We need to reverse whatever happened to them if we want to get this resolved."

"What do you propose, Mayor?"

Keiko turns an eye to the current Kokuyo Leader. A soldier in her own right, a leader, but still needing to be led. Still respecting that chain of command.

"Initially, if they had been targeting the Sawada child, we were going to send them off with the suggestion that the source they had for Tsunayoshi's existence was a mistake. Just a child who happened to look like him. There's getting to be more and more children with brown hair these days, and the Sawada child does not have any distinguishing features otherwise."

At least, that's what the Guardian had proposed.

"But the _agnelli di Dio_ are, instead, here on behalf of a client whose target is Yamamoto Tsuyoshi instead. And, unfortunately, the leaked photo shows a rather clear view of his face. I suppose, Guardian, that you were hoping the years had erased him from the Underworld. Or did you overlook Yamamoto Tsuyoshi himself?"

The figure in the shadows turns away, only a swish of cascading hair to betray the movement.

" _..Yamamoto Tsuyoshi and his spawn was not a concern of mine._ "

"Of course not," Keiko says idly. Sharply. " _Vongola_ is the only concern of yours."

Before her, both Household leaders stiffen. The mafia means ill things for all of them here on the island.

" _They are alive,_ " the Guardian says finally. " _Sawada Tsunayoshi is alive. His Seal is undone. I can begin teaching him, soon._ "

The triumph she hears is enough.

"As for the _agnelli di Dio_ , we will still be placing them under suggestion, if we ever reverse their petrified state. They will believe that Yamamoto Tsuyoshi and his son resisted, retaliated, and were killed in the altercation. Sawada Tsunayoshi's presence will be difficult to erase; if it cannot be done, disguise him as a bystander who was also killed. Send them back where they came." Her eyes drop to the reports. "Gatti is a Storm, isn't she? Make sure her suggestion is stronger. Storms have an uncanny ability to destroy anything with their flames... even Illusions."

She turns her gaze to Kaede, who dips her head in a nod. "The Guardian will cooperate."

" _It's the least I could do to apologize_ ," the Guardian intones.

Claude raises a hand.

"My so-... That is, Hibari Kyouya, the one who wrote the case report, wishes to be present for the suggestion implanting."

"He requested it?"

"Well, to be specific, he said, _whatever it is, I want to be there for it_."

Keiko reclines in her office chair. The light of the floor lamp casts cold shadows through the room. Makes them all seem older than they are. Even Guardian.

"Granted."

" _I want Sawada Tsunayoshi to be there as well. Let it be his first lesson from me._ "

Keiko _sighs_ , because of course he does.

"Granted, but only if he stays behind the observation glass and is never seen by the _agnelli di Dio_ the entire time."

" _Of course. I will enshroud him in Mist myself, if I must._ "

"He is the one, then?"

" _Vongola is weakening. Waning. Nono is growing soft and old, and his sons softer and older. Sawada Tsunayoshi will be... strong. I will make him strong._ "

Kaede surprises her by speaking next, turning to look at the figure diminishing in the shadows.

"What will happen to you after?"

There is a pause.

" _..I will make him stronger._ "

Stronger. Stronger. _Stronger._

The word echoes as the figure fades away, leaving only the bitter taste of longing and regret for a woman named _Elena_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand that's the end of this piece. i can only hope everything makes sense in the end.
> 
> to summarize:  
> the sawada line are Important to the island for Reasons- most likely for their sky flames, which are, as we all know, super rare in the world. no one's saying it's genetic, but no one's saying it _isn't_ , either, so if you have a clan of rare sky flame users on your island you probably want to keep them safe.
> 
> then timoteo comes along and incidentally seals the youngest sawada's precious sky flames. this puts a roadblock on tsuna's development which had already leapt forward from the moment his flames came out, but not on his hyper intuition, which eventually becomes so hyper that he's left with a mild misdiagnosis which is what the medication is for.
> 
> the island's Guardian is incidentally one Daemon Spade who is apparently dead set on raising tsuna to be a perfect mafia boss on an island where flames are everywhere, and is, consequently, a little pissed off that nono went and did what he did. and the flames are called Dying Will Flames for a reason, ssssooo he tries to incite some dying will in tsuna by more or less inviting people in to target him. with the mayor's permission. nothing goes in or out of the island without permission, after all. daemon also implants a suggestion in the two retrieval specialists to attack tsuna if they see him. they probably weren't supposed to actually hit him, though.
> 
> and then tsuna's flames go overboard and he petrifies them, oops.
> 
> daemon has skewed priorities. the island is weird.


End file.
